John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, today I rise in support of the Hagel amendment to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. This legislation is similar to legislation that I introduced in each of the last two Congresses, ``The Constitutional and Effective Reform of Campaigns Act,'' or ``CERCA.'' My bill has proven to be a good faith effort to strike middle ground in this important debate and offered an alternative to the bills that have been debated before the full Senate in the past. The principal points in my bill were enhanced disclosure, increased contribution limits, a cap on soft money and paycheck protection. Senator Hagel's amendment does much the same thing. As Chairman of the Rules Committee during the 105th Congress, I had the honor of presiding over at least twelve hearings on campaign finance reform. My legislation was a result of these two years of hearings, discussions with numerous experts and colleagues, and the result of over two decades of participating in campaigns and campaign finance debates. It is well documented the growth of soft money in recent years is an issue of public concern. The $60,000 soft money cap found in the Hagel amendment addresses the public's legitimate concern over the propriety of large soft money donations while allowing the political parties sufficient funds to maintain their headquarters and conduct their grassroots effort. In addition to the issue of soft money, there is the issue of raising the hard money caps. Politicians spend too much time fundraising at the expense of their legislative duties for incumbents, and, for both incumbents and challengers, at the expense of debating the issues with voters. The current individual contribution limit of $1,000 has not been raised, or even indexed for inflation for over 20 years. This situation requires candidates to spend more and more time seeking more and more donors. The Hagel amendment triples the individual contribution limits to $3,000 and indexes that limit for inflation. My campaign finance legislation contained the exact same provision. These are issues that I believe can be solved in a bipartisan fashion. I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact meaningful campaign finance reform, and I encourage my colleagues to support the Hagel amendment as a mechanism to reach bipartisan consensus on campaign finance reform.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an outstanding Naval Officer, Captain Glen Woods, as he completes 23 years of distinguished service. It is a privilege for me to honor his many outstanding achievements and commend him for his honorable and faithful service to the Senate, the Navy, and our great Nation. Captain Woods graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978. Upon graduation, he entered flight training and earned his ``Wings of Gold'' as a Naval Aviator in February 1980. Assigned as a Maritime Patrol Aviator, Captain Woods has served in P-3 Orion squadrons in both the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets, compiling nearly 4000 flight hours. His most recent flying assignment was as the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of the ``Red Lancers'' of Patrol Squadron TEN, home ported in Brunswick, ME. From airfields located in Adak, Alaska, and Keflavik, Iceland, he has tracked submarines above the Arctic Circle. He has flown anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions supporting our carrier battle groups in the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Gulf, North Atlantic, Western Pacific and the Sea of Japan. His crews tracked maritime shipping in the South China Sea, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and throughout the Indian Ocean. Additionally, he has operated extensively with our NATO Allies, flying from bases in Scotland, Norway, Iceland, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Captain Woods also left his mark on a wide range of critical assignments ashore, serving as an instructor pilot, working on the staff of the Director of Naval Intelligence, and ending his distinguished career as the Deputy Director of the Navy's Liaison Office here in the Senate. His integrity, enthusiasm and foresight have earned him the admiration of me and my colleagues. The Department of the Navy, the Congress, and the American people have been well served by this dedicated naval officer for over 23 years. Captain Glen Woods is a passionate advocate of the Sea Services and has been tireless in supporting the needs of the Sailors in the Fleet and their families. On behalf of my colleagues, I am honored to thank him for his service and to wish Captain Woods and his lovely wife Patti, ``Fair winds and following seas.''

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on the Executive Calendar: Nos. 19 and 20, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Coast Guard. I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I commend our colleagues from New Jersey and Nevada. This exchange between these two fine Senators represents the quality of the debate the Senate is now experiencing on this important issue of campaign finance reform.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 22, and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. WARNER. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and, finally, any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until the hour of 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 21. I further ask consent that on Wednesday, immediately following the prayer, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then resume consideration of the Torricelli amendment to the campaign finance bill.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. For the information of all Senators, the Senate will resume consideration of the Torricelli broadcasting amendment beginning at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. Senators should expect a vote in relation to the amendment to occur at approximately 12:30 p.m. Amendments will continue to be offered and voted on every 3 hours throughout the day unless time is yielded back on the amendments

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the Domenici amendment. As chairman of the Rules Committee during the 105th Congress, I had the honor of presiding over numerous hearings on campaign finance reform. As a result of these two years of hearings, discussions with numerous experts and colleagues, and the result of over two decades of participating in campaigns and campaign finance debates, I have developed some strong opinions on the issue of campaign finance reform. In fact, during the 105th and 106th Congresses, I introduced my own campaign finance reform bills. One aspect of both bills was a provision designed to level the playing field for candidates running against self-financed candidates. Candidates with personal wealth have a distinct advantage because of their constitutional right to spend their own funds. The prospect of facing a self-financed candidate can be daunting and may prevent many talented potential candidates from entering a political contest. My bill contained provisions similar to Senator Domenici's amendment before use now that raise contribution limits for candidates running against self-financed candidates. Just as my bill raised contribution limits incrementally according to how much the self-financed candidate spends on his or her campaign, Senator Domenici's amendment does the same. Mr first criteria when analyzing issues of campaign finance reform is that the legislation must be consistent with first amendment. The Congress must respect and protect the constitutional right of individuals, groups, and organizations to participate in advocacy concerning political issues, and this includes self-financed candidates. This amendment does not constrain the first amendment rights of the self-financed candidate, it merely levels the playing field and opens up the political process to those of more modest means. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Beginning on page 22, strike line 1 and all that follows through page 24, line 2 and insert the following:

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an outstanding Naval Officer, Rear Admiral J. Culter Dawson, Jr. as he completes more than two years of distinguished service as the Navy's Chief of Legislative Affairs for the Congress of the United States. It is a privilege for me to honor his many outstanding achievements and commend him for his devotion to the Navy and our great Nation. Admiral Dawson is a 1970 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and is one of the Navy's ablest Surface Warfare Officers. As Chief of Legislative Affairs, utilizing professional skills and decisive actions, he ``navigated'' the Navy through many Congressional actions. Foremost were the issues for pay, force structure funding, leadership confirmations and quality of life initiatives. Further, he ensured support for a difficult series of high profile issues, including the F/ A-18 E/F, CVN-77/CVNX, DD-21 Acquisition Strategy, Virginia Class Submarines, Shipyard maintenance, and the Navy/Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI). That's a very commendable record of achievement. Admiral Dawson provided outstanding advice and recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations that have significantly and positively affected the future size, readiness, and capabilities of the Navy. Working closely with the United States Congress, he has helped maintain the best-trained, best-equipped, and best-prepared Navy in the world. I am proud to thank him for his service as the Chief of Legislative Affairs and look forward with pride and deepest respect as we continue to work with him once he is confirmed in his new assignment as Commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I thank my distinguished colleague. How much I look forward to working with him here in the Senate.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, if I may take a moment or two, we have just concluded on the House floor a bipartisan meeting between Members of the House and Senator Allen and myself where we had some 400-plus individuals from all across the United States discussing a wide range of issues regarding the Internet and cyberspace. It was a fascinating discussion. That group is soon to come over to this Chamber, following the Senate standing in recess, where Senator Allen and I will continue that discussion, but we will also speak about the history of this Chamber. In the course of my remarks--and then I will call on my distinguished colleague to follow with his remarks--I addressed the extraordinary problem that the entire Nation is facing with regard to those devising capabilities to hack into our computer systems and, as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, what our committee is now doing with the subcommittee on emerging threats, which under the leadership of Senator Roberts has taken many strides towards trying to take positive actions to stop the invasion of our computer systems. In the year 1999, there were over 20,000 invasions of various computer systems in the Department of Defense, and in the following year up to 24,000 intrusions into our system. That says to us, as we proceed to make our military more high tech, we are highly vulnerable because of that situation, and I urge this group to work more closely with the Department of Defense and other departments and agencies within the Federal Government to do everything we can to try to make more secure our computers and other aspects of cyberspace. It is to the advantage of the private sector because security against hacking into their system--a bank going into accounts, an investment house going into accounts, medical things, people working on patents, and so forth--is desperately needed. I am pleased to be a part of the team here in the Senate that is looking at this. I now ask if my distinguished colleague, the junior Senator from Virginia, who is chairman on our side, so to speak, of the high-tech task force, would care to say a few remarks. I might add we are trying to prolong this session a few minutes so the pages don't have homework. For those who follow these proceedings, we are just about there. I yield to the Senator.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. We point out that the distinguished Senator from Wyoming, who spent so much of his career over the last year or so on this subject, clearly says it is like a house: We have to take it down to its very foundation and build it back up again. We have committed on the floor to do just this, if I understand my colleague from Wyoming. Am I correct in that?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the distinguished Senator from Wyoming--

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, we have a new President, a new Secretary of Labor.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, if I might reply to my distinguished colleague. Earlier today I listened to him and I think he approached this issue in a very realistic and pragmatic way, particularly with his State having so much heavy industrial work in it. I am strongly in favor of the resolution. But I am concerned about the proposition of a 2-year delay. There are a lot of people--and I will address that--who are actually at this moment suffering a consequence of their repetitive physical action. Do we really think 2 years would give Congress the time necessary to address this problem? I think we can reach an accommodation with our new Secretary of Labor addressing this and quickly get to a more realistic set of regulations to promote worker safety from these injuries.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I now ask unanimous consent the Senate stand in adjournment, following my remarks and those of Senator Allen.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, the Senate will convene at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow and be in a period of morning business until 11:30 a.m. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the bankruptcy reform bill. Amendments are expected to be offered and therefore votes can be expected throughout the day. Members are encouraged to work with the bill managers if they intend to offer amendments.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that at 11:30 a.m. the Senate resume consideration of S. 420, the bankruptcy reform bill.