John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I see the distinguished Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I worked on the amendment with the distinguished Senator from New Jersey. I have done so in consultation with my leadership and the leadership of the Intelligence Committee. I would like to make this offer to my good friend. We have a rapidly moving bill. We have a number of amendments yet to vote on tonight. The leadership may well be addressing the Senate, the majority leader and Democratic leader, about this bill. Is it at all possible that we can voice vote this amendment? I urge my colleague to do so.

Mr. WARNER

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

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. WARNER. I thank the distinguished majority leader and the Democratic leader and all others who made possible that we will now have a Defense authorization bill, a strong bill, a good bill. The UC just propounded by the distinguished majority leader requires that the Iraq amendments be laid down tonight. Amendment No. 2518 On behalf of the distinguished majority leader and myself, I now send to the desk the Iraq amendment as required by the UC. My understanding is the amendment by the distinguished Senator from Michigan on Iraq is at the desk; is that correct?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, by way of preliminary debate on the Iraq amendment, I would simply advise my distinguished colleague from Michigan and other Senators that we were given, in a timely manner, the amendment that has just been sent to the desk by the Senator from Michigan, known as the leadership Iraq amendment. Senator Frist, I, and others have simply taken that amendment and amended it in several ways, and that then becomes the Warner-Frist amendment. So I just inform colleagues, basically, we are dealing with the basic amendment as provided by the Senator from Michigan, the distinguished Senator from Nevada, and others. We have modified our leadership amendment in a manner which we think is consistent with the strong needs of our country to achieve the objectives that we have in Iraq. Having said that, I think we have pretty well concluded business for the day on this bill.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague. I do believe it is very wise for the Senate to have this debate. We are prepared for that debate. I would simply advise colleagues--and the leadership later will in wrap-up give more specifics--my understanding is there will be a vote at 5:30, preceded by 1 hour of debate on that vote, which is on one of the appropriations bills. That is my understanding. Can the Presiding Officer advise me as to what the vote is that is scheduled on Monday at 5:30? I am advised it is the Energy and Water Conference Report. Am I reasonably correct in preliminarily informing the Senate that vote will take place at about 5:30, and the 1 hour prior to it will be reserved for debate on that? I interpret that to mean that from the time the Senate comes in on Monday up until 4:30, that would be available for the important debate on the respective Iraqi amendments.

Mr. WARNER. I wonder if the distinguished Senator from Michigan and I can visit here for 1 minute.

Mr. WARNER. The Senator from Michigan and I desire to accommodate colleagues. Again, the hour from 4:30 to 5:30 is on the appropriations bill. The time from whenever the Senate convenes on Monday up until 4:30 is subject to debate on the Iraqi amendments; indeed, if Senators want to comment on the bill and such amendments as may be filed in connection with the Graham issues. I think we would urge our colleagues to try to contact our respective offices as to their needs for time to vote on these matters so the Senator from Michigan and I can try to accommodate them. But I also wish to remind colleagues that presumably the vote on the appropriations bill starts at 5:30, and by all measures should be completed sometime after 6. Then, subject to leadership, I would think there would be time that evening, Monday evening, to continue votes for those Senators whose travel plans otherwise do not enable them to get here before 4:30. So the same framework for debate that can take place prior to 4:30 can take place after 6:30.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, may I pause momentarily. Mr. President, I think our respective staffs can incorporate in the wrap-up document such that the Senator from Michigan and I will share equally the time before 4:30, after leadership, and in that way be able to work more effectively with our colleagues.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I again thank all Senators. I thank our staff. I thank the professional staff of the Senate, who in many ways have made possible the completion of this bill. We are owing a debt of gratitude to many to get where we are.

Mr. WARNER. In a way we are. We have charted the course.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry be authorized to conduct a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 10, 2005 at 9 a.m. in 328A, Senate Russell Office Building. The purpose of this committee hearing will be to consider the nominations for Chief Financial Officer and Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service at the United States Department of Agriculture.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 10, 2005, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing on ``The Development of New Basel Capital Accords.''

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 10 at 10:30 a.m. The purpose of this meeting is to consider the nominations of Jeffrey D. Jarrett to be Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, DOE; and Edward F. Sproat, III to be Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, DOE.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet in open Executive Session during the session on Thursday, November 10, 2005, at 10 a.m., to consider an original bill that will include the Committee's budget reconciliation instructions pertaining to expiring tax provisions and also additional incentives for hurricane affected areas.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, November 10, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. in Senate Dirksen Office Building Room 226.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Why the Government Should Care about Pornography: The State Interest in Protecting Children and Families'' on Thursday, November 10, 2005 at 2 p.m. in SD226. Witness List Panel I: Pamela Paul, author of Pornified, New York, NY; Dean Rodney Smolla, Dean, University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, VA; Jill Manning, Social Science Fellow, Heritage Foundation, Washington, DC, Sociologist, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT; Leslie Harris, Senior Consultant and Incoming Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Technology, Washington, DC; and Richard Whidden, Executive Director and Senior Counsel, National Law Center for Children and Families, Fairfax, VA.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change, and Nuclear Safety be authorized to hold a hearing on November 10 at 9:30 a.m. regarding the implementation of the existing particulate matter and ozone air quality standards.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Science and Space and Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention and Prediction be authorized to meet on Thursday, November 10, 2005, at 2:30 p.m., on S. 517-Weather Modification.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I commend our colleague. This is a very significant and important step that he has taken. I ask unanimous consent to be added as a cosponsor on the amendment.

Mr. WARNER. The Senator from Kansas asked for a moment or two to speak. I shall yield the floor at this point and then follow with my remarks. I first ask the Presiding Officer with regard to the time remaining for the proponents of the amendment.

Mr. WARNER. I thank the Chair.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, before the distinguished Senator from Kansas leaves the floor, I want to speak to him about another matter. I ask unanimous consent to go off this amendment for a brief period and charge the time to me from the bill time so I may have a colloquy with my good friend and colleague from Kansas.

Mr. WARNER. The Senator has submitted to me an amendment which is in our allocation of 12 amendments regarding the notification that you deem important with military families, should they seek to access a military hospital for the performance of an abortion by a young person in that family. Am I generally correct about that?