Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. That amends the previous agreement. That very much clarifies it, that the amendments discussed with Senator Smith and Senator Murkowski are on the list, my IMF amendment is on the list, and the amendments that are on the list that the lady has here--and the managers' package. There is a managers' package. That is ours that is on the list, also. I thank the Chair.

Mr. STEVENS. There will be no more votes tonight, so if anyone has votes they will not be in order tonight.

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I now ask there be a period for routine morning business with Senators being allowed to speak for not to exceed 5 minutes.

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Chair.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 1998, in open session, to receive testimony on the situation in the Persian Gulf.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 1998, to conduct a hearing on the re-nomination of Arthur Levitt, Jr., to be a commissioner and chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full Committee on Environment and Public Works be granted permission to continue markup of S. 8, the Superfund Cleanup Acceleration Act of 1997, Wednesday, March 25, 9:30 a.m., Hearing room (SD-406).

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent on behalf of the Governmental Affairs Committee to meet on Wednesday, March 25, 1998, at 10 a.m., for a hearing on the Government Secrecy Act of 1997, S. 712.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 1998 beginning at 9:30 a.m., until business is completed, to receive testimony on the Federal election Commission's budget authorization request for FY99.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs requests unanimous consent to hold a joint hearing with the House Committee on Veterans Affairs to receive the legislative presentations of AMVETS, American Ex-Prisoners of War, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the Retired Officers Association. The hearing will be held on March 25, 1998, at 9:30 a.m., in room 345 of the Cannon House Office Building.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 1998 at 3 p.m. and Thursday, March 26, 1998 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing on intelligence matters.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Airland Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 25, 1998, at 10 a.m., in open session, to receive testimony on Tactical Aviation Modernization.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Communications Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 25, 1998, at 2:30 p.m., on 271 Application Process.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights, of the Senate Judiciary Committee, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 1998 at 2 p.m., to hold a hearing in Room 226, Senate Dirksen Building, on: ``The Tradition and Importance of Protecting the United States Flag.''

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be granted permission to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, for purposes of conducting a subcommittee hearing which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on S. 890, the Dutch John Federal Property Disposition and Assistance Act of 1997; S. 1109, a bill to make a minor adjustment in the exterior boundary of the Devils Backbone Wilderness in the Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri, to exclude a small parcel of land containing improvements; S. 1468, a bill to provide for the conveyance of one (1) acre of land from Santa Fe National Forest to the Village of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, as the site of a fire sub-station; S. 1469, a bill to provide for the expansion of the historic community cemetery of El Rito, New Mexico, through the special designation of five acres of Carson National Forest adjacent to the cemetery; S. 1510, a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands to the county of Rio Arriba, New Mexico; S. 1683, a bill to transfer administrative jurisdiction over part of the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area from the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Agriculture for inclusion in the Wenatchee National Forest; S. 1719, the Gallatin Land Consolidation Act of 1998; S. 1752, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain administrative sites and use the proceeds for the acquisition of office sites and the acquisition, construction, or improvement of offices and support buildings for the Coconino National Forest, Kaibab National Forest, Prescott National Forest, and Tonto National Forest in the State of Arizona; H.R. 1439, a bill to facilitate the sale of certain lands in Tahoe National Forest in the State of California to Placer County, California; H.R. 1663, a bill to clarify the intent of the Congress in Public Law 93-632 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to continue to provide for the maintenance of 18 concrete dams and weirs that were located in the Emigrant Wilderness at the time the wilderness area was designated as wilderness in that Public Law.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion of the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 1998, at 10 a.m., to hold a hearing.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I might state--and the Senator from Oklahoma just raised the same question over here--last evening we had a discussion about how to handle the Bosnia issue. I hope the Senator from Texas will not mind my saying, we reached agreement with the Senator from Texas that she would call up this amendment and discuss it for a while and then withdraw it. As a result of that, there will not be other Bosnia amendments offered at this time. They are waiting for the main bill. It is a matter of getting before the Senate the concerns the Senator from Texas wants to raise, and then we will go to the Nickles amendment. It will be some 15, 20, 30 minutes--I don't know what the Senator wants to take. I urge the Senate to allow us to manage the bill that way. The Nickles amendment will be the first amendment after the Senator from Texas has completed her comments. Mr. President, before we yield on this, if I may, is it possible to get a time agreement on the Nickles amendment?

Mr. STEVENS. I urge the Senators to help us, because we also have three other amendments that are going to require votes following the Nickles amendment. Amendment No. 2083 (Purpose: To express the Sense of the Congress that the President and Congress should create the conditions for a withdrawal by a date certain of U.S. ground combat forces from the NATO-led Stabilization Force in Bosnia)

Mr. STEVENS. Will the Senator yield for just one moment?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Chair notify each speaker on the Bosnia issue when 5 minutes have expired. We are not under a time agreement, but I think we have an understanding that speakers will limit their remarks to 5 minutes.

Mr. STEVENS. I did not hear the Senator.

Mr. STEVENS. There is no objection.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I call for the regular order.