Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this amendment pertains to the drawdown authority of the State of Israel for defense stocks, and it is a technical amendment that has been cleared on both sides.

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

Mr. STEVENS. Again, we have disposed now of all of the amendments brought to the attention of the committee on both sides. We will have a vote, we believe, at 4 o'clock. We will announce that soon. I urge Senators to notify us if they intend to offer any amendments to the bill. If not, we will move to third reading following the Byrd amendment. 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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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. President, after further consultation, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the Byrd amendment occur at 4 p.m. today.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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. President, I ask unanimous consent that there be no second-degree amendments in order to Senator Byrd's amendment.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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. I have an amendment on behalf of Senator Mikulski and Senator Sarbanes. I send it to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. STEVENS. This makes available funds available for a stated amount on a project the Senator supports. We have cleared the amendment and ask for its immediate adoption.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3517

Mr. STEVENS. I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Bill Nelson and ask that it be considered.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. STEVENS. This amendment provides up to $5 million for a project the Senator supports. It has been cleared by both sides. I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Shelby and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. STEVENS. This is a technical amendment to clarify the availability of funds in the 2004 appropriations bill. It has been cleared on both sides of the aisle. I ask for its adoption.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote and lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment 3502

Mr. STEVENS. The hour of 4 has arrived. The yeas and nays have been ordered on the Byrd amendment?

Mr. STEVENS. This is a sense of the Senate amendment that the Senator offered on the bill last year that was adopted by the Senate, and the yeas and nays have been ordered.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. STEVENS. In a few minutes we will have a series of amendments which have been cleared and we may have one more amendment that is coming. That is all we know. I suggest the absence of a quorum.