John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Let's give the number of that amendment so there is absolute clarity.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, we are still on track to start our series of two votes now at approximately 11:50. To keep Senators advised, the ranking member and I are rapidly clearing amendments. I know of only a few remaining amendments that will require rollcall votes. I am anxious to complete the bill, as are all Senators. I see now that possibility taking place perhaps early to mid-afternoon. We will be addressing the Senate on that after the two votes.

Mr. WARNER. I think we waived the 2 minutes before the first vote and we will proceed to the vote. Are the yeas and nays ordered on the amendment?

Mr. WARNER. I thank the leader, and I certainly want to pay my respect to Senator Lott. He has worked on this issue knowing the interest of all parties relating to this important amendment. He has worked with us for some several days on it. Mr. President, we are ready to begin to wrap things up. Amendments Nos. 482 Through 536, En Bloc

Mr. WARNER. I thank the assistant Democratic leader. Senator Levin and I have been able to move this bill, but it is because of the cooperation we have had from the leadership and all Senators. This is my 21st armed services authorization bill and Senator Levin's 21st. I don't know of a smoother one. We have had few quorum calls and excellent cooperation. I wish to say to my distinguished friend and assistant Democratic leader, the timing of the bringing up of the Kyl-Domenici amendment I am largely responsible for. I worked with them and said I recognized that this could begin to slow the bill down. It wasn't a last-minute type of thing.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I send a modification of amendment No. 458 to the desk.

Mr. WARNER. Reserving the right to object--I do not intend to--could you describe who prepared the summary?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, might I just address the Senate to say that Senator Levin and I are still working with regard to the managers' package and reviewing such amendments at the desk when Senators come and discuss them. It is the intention of this Senator to move to third reading very shortly, just minutes following the debate on the current amendment by the distinguished Senator from Arizona, Mr. Kyl.

Mr. WARNER. It is clear now. We are proceeding to the vote for the full period of time. At the conclusion of that, I will, in all probability, ask the next vote be 10 minutes, and then there will be a period of time, 2 minutes total, prior to the second vote. Vote On Amendment No. 442

Mr. WARNER. But we both want to be eminently fair to our colleagues. The bulk of the amendments remaining at the desk are ones that we, at this time, either on Senator Levin's side or my side, find unacceptable.

Mr. WARNER. There were about 40.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendments be agreed to en bloc and that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table. I further ask that any statements relating to these amendments be printed in the Record.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of the distinguished Senator from Alabama, Mr. Sessions.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the amendment has been cleared on both sides. I urge the Senate to adopt this amendment. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question is on agreeing to the amendment, as modified.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of the Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Helms.

Mr. WARNER. I thank the Senators for their valuable input. The BQM-74 is one of several critical defense priorities that will be addressed in conference.

Mr. WARNER. I ask unanimous consent to vacate that order.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, with regard to the remaining business, I am hopeful the leadership clears a unanimous consent request, agreed upon between Mr. Levin and myself. It is in the process now. It will give clarity to the balance of the day. At the moment, there are two Senators who have been waiting for 3 days. I want to accommodate them. The Senator from Mississippi, Mr. Cochran, would like to lay down an amendment and speak to it for 10 minutes. The amendment is not cleared, so I reserve 10 minutes for the opposition to that amendment prior to any vote that is required. Amendment No. 444

Mr. WARNER. We will proceed as follows: 5 minutes allocated to the Senator from Minnesota to address the Senate; followed by the Senator from Massachusetts, with 10 minutes under his control; 5 minutes under the control of the Senator from Virginia, if necessary. That will require a record vote, and it will be stacked. We will then proceed to the Feingold amendments, the first one with 20 minutes under the control of the Senator from Wisconsin, 15 under the control of the Senator from Virginia; then to the second Feingold amendment, 15 minutes under the control of the Senator from Wisconsin and 10 minutes under the control of the Senator from Virginia. That will be two record votes. So we will have three record votes in approximately about an hour's time. We will add no amendments in order to any of the three amendments that we just recited.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, once again, a number of these amendments we are now sending to the desk, the two managers, pursuant to the unanimous consent request, are ones which we are in the process of clearing--not all of them but some. I urge my colleagues, once again, there is no assurance that an amendment that was sent to the staff in the last 72 hours is included in the unanimous consent request automatically. It has to be resubmitted. We are being very careful and very fair about that. Now, Mr. President, on behalf of the Senator from Missouri, Mr. Bond, I send an amendment to the desk.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Smith of New Hampshire.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Mr. Wyden and Mr. Smith of Oregon.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Mr. Thurmond.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Drinking Water be granted permission to conduct a hearing on S. 1100, a bill to provide that the designation of critical habitat for endangered and threatened species be required as a part of the development of recovery plans for those species, Thursday, May 27, 10:30 a.m., Hearing Room (SD-406).

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 27, 1999, at 10 a.m. to hold a hearing.