Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. We will take it off our time.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, how much time remains?

Mr. STEVENS. I yield the Senator from Arizona such time as he may require.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order to ask for the yeas and nays on the vote at 6 p.m.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

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

Mr. STEVENS. I yield that time.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, is there any time remaining?

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I note that the distinguished Senator from Oklahoma is here. How much time remains?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this has been cleared with the Democratic leadership and our leadership. I ask unanimous consent that the vote on passage of the conference report accompanying H.R. 1469 occur at 6 p.m., as ordered, notwithstanding the fact that the Senate may not have received the official papers from the House by that time, and that when and if the Senate does receive those papers, the vote at 6 p.m. be considered as a vote on final passage of the conference report, provided that the papers received from the House are identical to the conference report filed in the House last evening.

Mr. STEVENS. How much time remains?

Mr. STEVENS. I yield the remaining time to the Senators from Texas.

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Oklahoma may speak within the balance of our time on a subject other than the bill.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I appreciate the kind words that the Democratic leader has made here on the floor. My response to him would be that no President in the history of the United States has closed down the Government like President Clinton did. There are hundreds of thousands of people who were put in a position of being told to stay home, they could not go to work. When they did not go to work, facilities all over this country were closed. People were told they could not get their veterans checks, they could not get any assistance from the Social Security Administration. They were totally closed down. Now, to use the first vehicle available to us in the appropriations process to try to prevent that, I do not think is a cynical act. I am sorry that he used that word with regard to this provision. It is a legitimate difference of opinion with the administration and with the minority, but I do not believe we are being cynical in trying to protect the people of the United States from another shutdown, which I foresee is going to happen unless we find some way to come to an agreement with this President about the misuse of the Presidential power to shut down the Government when we were not out of money, by the way. We were not out of money. There were funds that could have been used to keep the office open.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the conference report was agreed to. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, section 6005 of the conference agreement on H.R. 1469 contains a substitute for the original Senate prohibition on the expenditure of funds to advocate certain policies with respect to the recognition, validity, or management of rights of way established pursuant to section 2477 of the Revised Statutes (43 U.S.C. 932), more commonly referred to as R.S. 2477. Section 6005 establishes a commission to recommend a long-term solution to the administration and Congress. The commission is bipartisan--6 Republicans and 6 Democrats--plus a retired Federal judge selected by the other 12 to chair the commission. The commission has representatives from the administration, Congress, and the States. The commission is cost effective--the only new cost is the salary of the retired judge. All other members are Federal, State, or congressional employees who would serve on the commission within the scope of their existing duties. The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for payment of the chairman's salary and expenses, and for providing, and paying for any necessary staff, office space, and expenses out of existing funds provided for the Department of the Interior. Based on concerns raised by the administration, the provision waives the Federal Advisory Committee Act to avoid lengthy procedural delays. However the commission's hearings are open to the public, and a public record is required to be kept of those hearings. In addition, the commission must keep a record of its deliberations. The commission is tasked with recommending changes in law to expeditiously resolve outstanding right of way claims under R.S. 2477. Those recommendations are to be made in consultation with the governors of affected States. It is my hope that working together this commission can reach consensus on this difficult issue. This commission must make its recommendations by March 1, 1998, and must include with their submission any comments they receive from governors. The Secretary of the Interior must approve or disapprove the recommendations in their entirety by March 31, 1998. If the Secretary approves the commission's recommendations, then a fast track procedure is provided in Congress to ensure those recommendations are considered. If the Secretary does not approve the commission's recommendations, then the fast track procedure is not available. Under the fast track procedure only relevant amendments are allowed in the Senate during floor consideration of the bill, and any message from the House on such a bill. The conference agreement leaves intact the permanent prohibition on the issuance of final rules or regulations on R.S. 2477 without express authorization of such rules or regulations by a subsequent act of Congress, and specifically states in section 6005(b)(5)(A) that this provision does not constitute such express authorization. Section 6005 does not repeal or modify any existing law, and takes no position regarding the legitimacy of the R.S. 2477 policy announced by the Secretary of the Interior on January 22, 1997.

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS. I come to the Senate floor today to tell the Senate that a very special and dear friend to many of us who serve in the Senate, the Right Honorable Michael Jopling, has now been honored in his country with a life peerage and will join the House of Lords. Those of us who know Michael Jopling have known him as a Member of Parliament who has served more than three decades in Britain as a Member of Parliament. He served as a Minister of Agricultural, Fisheries, and Food in the British Government for two 4-year periods between 1979 and 1987. Those of us here in the Senate who know him, know him because of his active participation in the North Atlantic Assembly sessions and particularly in the British-American Interparliamentary Conference meetings which many of us have participated in from time to time. He continues to serve, Mr. President, as the Secretary for the Interparliamentary Exchange. Senator Byrd and I will lead a Senate delegation in August to meet with our British counterparts, and for the 10th year in a row it will be Lord Jopling, now, who will meet us. He brings great energy and enthusiasm to the meetings we have held and, really, his participation has been unparalleled. As a matter of fact, I am sad to report to the Senate that with his youthful exuberance he got the better of himself recently when he suffered an accident in a Go-Kart race. He broke some ribs and had some damage to his lungs, but he is on the mend now. I understand that he will have full recovery. I further bring greetings to the Senate from our friend Senator Heflin. Senator Heflin has written to me about his real joy to see our friend, Michael Jopling, so honored. I am reminded of a speech that Sir Winston Churchill made in the House of Commons on August 20, 1940. He said: The British Empire and the United States will have to be somewhat mixed together in some of their affairs for mutual and general advantage. For my own part, looking out upon the future, I do not view the process with any misgivings. It is, in fact, the British-American interparliamentary process that has given great effect to those words, and Lord Jopling has been a leader of that effort. He has made a lasting contribution to the great relationship between our two countries. He and his wife Gail have always been gracious hosts, and they really are wonderful goodwill ambassadors for Britain. I come to offer my congratulations to Lord Jopling. I think others who know him will want to congratulate him, also. We particularly thank him for years of dedication to his country and to the cause of world peace and understanding. He is a great personal friend. I am delighted to see a friend honored.

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Senator from South Carolina for those remarks, and I know I reflect the sentiments of my great friend Howell Heflin in reporting to the Senate this great news.