Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, it is our hope that after the Senator has completed his statement that he did not make last night that we will be able to reach an agreement as to time in very short order. But he has not completed his statement yet, so I cannot answer that question yet. Again, this is a consistent pattern. I hope the Senate will realize the person who offers an amendment will be allowed to make the statement that he or she wishes to make, and after that time we will seek to limit the time for any further comment on the amendment before I make a motion to table.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, that is precisely what we have agreed to do. As soon as Senator Byrd, who has the amendment that is pending, because of an agreement that was entered into before--the Reid amendment was set aside--we shall finish Senator Byrd's amendment, and once that is finished we will go back to regular business, which is the Reid amendment, as soon as the Byrd amendment is voted upon. Then we would proceed, by agreement, I hope, to raise every amendment that a Senator wishes to raise within the time limit that is left under the cloture period.

Mr. STEVENS. I urge the Parliamentarian to compute it before I finish here because I think Senators ought to know. We, I hope, will finish this bill under the original cloture period. Senator Byrd, from West Virginia, will be recognized under the agreement we entered into last evening to complete the statements on his amendment to delete the CR provision in the bill. After that, Senator Reid's amendment is the pending business. It is our intention to go to Senator Reid's amendment. There is an agreement on that. Following that amendment, Senator Gramm, who has a series of amendments, has asked to bring up one of his amendments. And it is my hope that the Chair will recognize him after that. I urge Senators to come forward now and tell us what they are going to bring up. If I am correct, the time under cloture expires before 6 p.m. tonight. It is my feeling we should finish in that original period. That will mean that we will have to shorten the time on every amendment that comes up and seek an opportunity to vote, if there is going to be a vote, within a reasonable period of time. So, Mr. President, I want to announce, as chairman, once an amendment is called up and a statement is made in support of it, I will seek the floor to table that amendment. But I hope to seek from each Member a reasonable period of time for any Member who wants to speak on the pending amendment. I urge Senators to limit their time so we can finish by 6 o'clock. Has the Parliamentarian come close to an estimate?

Mr. STEVENS. I have other business on this bill, if I may.

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

Mr. STEVENS. The words of the Senator are very kind. If I have any ability to work on the floor, it is because I have watched masters work before me. I ask for the vote.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, before the vote, I yield to my friend from West Virginia.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I now move that the bill advance to third reading and ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to thank the floor staff, particularly the Parliamentarian, the people who really represent the Senate. The public sees them and hardly knows who they are, unfortunately, because we don't address each other by name on the floor. We had 109 first-degree amendments and 75 second-degree amendments. We have handled a series of other amendments that were not presented, but we have done it by unanimous consent. We have gone through this bill. It is a disaster bill of monstrous proportions, and it is very vitally needed. Unfortunately, we cannot pass it yet because of the tradition of the Senate awaiting passage by the House of appropriations bills. It is a tradition that we have honored and I seek to honor it again now. I thank all of those who have helped us. I want to put in the Record at this point the names of the people who have been on the staff of the Appropriations Committee on both sides, who worked on this bill and enabled us to get where we are now.

Mr. STEVENS. The Senator from Texas seeks to offer an amendment. How much time does the Senator want?

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Senator. section 417

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I yield a minute to the Senator from Minnesota.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to yield to the Senator from New Jersey for such time as he needs.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this amendment makes available certain child care funds to assist the residents of areas affected by the flooding of the Red River of the North and other areas flooding in the area. It has been cleared on both sides. I ask it be agreed to.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent further reading be dispensed with.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this amendment makes available $7 million, with an offset, to take care of the problem regarding the salmon on the Columbia. I ask it be agreed to.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I say to the Senate this amendment is modified with a technical correction. It authorizes FEMA to transfer up to $20 million to the Disaster Assistance Direct Loan Program. These are needed to provide operating assistance to local school districts whose students have been displaced as a result of flooding. I urge its immediate adoption and ask it be adopted.

Mr. STEVENS. I send to the desk a modification of the amendment of Senator Conrad and I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent further reading be dispensed with.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, by mistake this bill was deemed to have been objected to, and upon review after the bill, S. 672, was advanced to third reading, it was determined that the objection had not in fact been placed by the Senator that was purported to have placed an objection. It has been cleared on both sides, and it is matter now of trying to correct it and get this amendment of Senator Grassley back to where it should have been adopted prior to the advancing of this bill to third reading.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I do ask that we consider this amendment at this time, and I further ask that upon its adoption it be placed in the bill that's just been passed as this action was completed prior to voting upon advancing this bill to third reading.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment to S. 672 that I send to the desk be adopted.