Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time allocated to the Senator from Arizona be rescinded.

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

Mr. STEVENS. May I inquire if the Senator from West Virginia wishes to use any further time at this time?

Mr. STEVENS. That is the reason I have reserved our time and Senator Inouye reserved his time also. I have been notified of no Senator on my side who wishes to use part of my time. I don't know about the Senator from Hawaii. He indicates he has had no requests. It appears Senator Byrd would be the last person to make a statement. I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, may I address a question to my colleague from West Virginia? There are no more requests for time. We are prepared to yield back the remainder of our time and go to a vote. Is the Senator from West Virginia prepared to yield back the remainder of his time?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, not having had any other requests for time, I ask that all time remaining be rescinded.

Mr. STEVENS. I withdraw that request.

Mr. STEVENS. I withdraw my request and concur and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am very willing to enter into such an agreement. Have the yeas and nays been requested?

Mr. STEVENS. I request the yeas and nays on final passage, when that occurs. I ask unanimous consent that the rollcall commence at 7:15.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table is agreed to.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I inserted in the Record the name of staff members who worked on this bill. I compliment them. I need a round of applause for the staff. This is record time for this bill. It is a very good bill. It is essential. Emergency funds will be available as soon as the President signs it. I thank all Senators for their cooperation today to get this bill passed before we go home for recess.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this morning there will be a period for morning business for up to 30 minutes with the majority leader or his designee in control of the first 15 minutes and the Democratic leader or his designee in control of the final 15 minutes. Following morning business, we will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the marriage amendment. The time until 12 noon will be equally divided for debate on the motion. At noon, the Senate will proceed to a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the joint resolution. The cloture vote will be the first vote of the day. The leader has mentioned the Australian free trade legislation and the desire to finish that bill this week. In addition, as mentioned last night, the Senate needs to move forward with respect to the FSC/ ETI JOBS measure and appoint conferees. Therefore, Senators should anticipate additional votes during the session.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, that is my understanding. However, there was also mention that the leader desires to discuss moving to the JOBS measure. That discussion may take place between the two leaders prior to the cloture vote.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Will the Senator yield for a question, Mr. President?

Mr. STEVENS. Well, I will seek the floor when the Senator is through.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am sort of surprised with the Senator from Illinois. I attended the same briefing. The Homeland Security bill has been reported by the committee to the Senate floor. We have been trying to get it to the Senate floor. I am prepared to present a motion to take up the bill right now, and I do. I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader today, the Senate proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 588, H.R. 4567, an act making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes. Further, I ask unanimous consent that all after the enacting clause be stricken, that the text of Calendar No. 583, S. 2537, the Senate-reported bill, be inserted and agreed to in lieu thereof, without waiving any points of order by virtue of this agreement, and that the bill, as amended, be considered as original text for the purpose of further amendment; provided that no amendments shall be in order which will increase total discretionary spending provided by the bill in excess of the Senate-reported bill totals of $32 billion in budget authority and $29.729 billion in outlays; provided that no other points of order shall be waived thereon by virtue of this agreement; provided further that 2 hours be equally divided on the bill, that up to an extra hour be equally divided on each amendment, that all amendments be relevant and germane, that all votes occur before 5 p.m. on Monday, and that final passage occur by the same time, 5 p.m. Monday. Now, I have an urgency to get this bill before the Senate, too. I am delighted the Senator has come to floor. I think it is the first time I have ever seen a member of the committee come to the floor of the Senate and ask to take up a bill without consulting the chairman. But I am prepared to take it up. We were prepared to offer this motion today. I ask for the unanimous consent agreement to start today--to start today--and we will finish it by 5 o'clock Monday. Just as Governor Ridge indicated, there is a real urgency behind this bill. I would like to take it up. What this time agreement means is the bill will be subject to amendment, but anyone who wants to add money has to find some source to take it out. This bill is consistent with the budget resolution we are operating under, which is the budget resolution of 2004. We do not have a new budget resolution, but we do have the budget resolution for 2004, which put caps on 2005. So I am ready to take up this bill. The chairman of the committee is ready to take it up. If the minority wants to come and ask that it come up, I am ready. We are ready right now. We will finish it by 5 o'clock Monday. We will have it to the President by 5 o'clock a week from tomorrow, I guarantee you that. So I present the unanimous consent request, Mr. President.

Mr. STEVENS. My motion is before the Senate, Mr. President.

Mr. STEVENS. The bill I have referred to was reported to the Senate. It was reported to the Senate on June 21. It has been before the Senate for quite some time. All I have asked is we have the amendments--it is open to amendment--and that there be an hour on each amendment. All I have asked is the amendments be germane and relevant and that there be an hour on each amendment. The only difference between what the distinguished minority leader and I have requested is I asked that no amendment would be in order which will increase total discretionary spending provided by the bill in excess of the Senate-reported bill totals which, again, is the amount that is consistent with the existing budget resolution. I resubmit that unanimous consent request.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the distinguished leader has missed part of my unanimous consent request; that is, that the final vote take place at 5 o'clock on Monday. So we could go to conference with the House and expect to bring this bill back before we leave for the convention recess. Again, I state, I have a few years around here. I don't remember any Appropriations Committee member raising an issue to bring up a bill without consulting the chairman. I remember the days when had a Member done that, the Appropriations Committee chairman would not have forgotten it. So again, I say to the Senate, we are prepared to take up this bill under this time agreement and only under this time agreement today. I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Burns be added as an original cosponsor of amendment 3490.

Mr. STEVENS. I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Kohl, which relates to authorizing the reprogramming of funds available to the Secretary for industrial technical services and ask that it be considered.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, with the exception of two items we may receive, that is the last of the amendments that have been called to our attention. I would inquire whether it would be in order for the managers of the respective sides of the aisle to return to the Biden amendment now and ask for a vote on the Biden amendment. Is there any impediment to having a vote now, may I inquire of staff?

Mr. STEVENS. Is the amendment now pending?