[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the concurrent 
resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee [Mr. Sasser] is 
recognized.


                       Unanimous Consent Request

  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
return to the Harkin amendment No. 1578 that had been temporarily laid 
aside.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, may I 
inquire as I understand the Cohen-Kerrey amendment was the one pending. 
I think we can resolve that rather quickly.
  Mr. SASSER. I withdraw the unanimous consent request.


                           Amendment No. 1582

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question does occur on amendment No. 1582, 
which is the Cohen-Kerrey amendment. There is 27 minutes overall that 
remains for debate.
  The Senator from Maine, Mr. Cohen.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, for a number of reasons, I have decided to 
withdraw the amendment that was offered earlier with Mr. Kerrey, which 
calls for expedited rescission.
  We are advised by the parliamentarian that the amendment will be 
considered to be nongermane and, therefore subject to a budgetary point 
of order. I would, of course, propose to waive this point of order, 
however, doing so will require 60 votes.
  At tis time, it seems unlikely that we would prevail on a 60-vote 
point of order. Senator Kerrey and I, however, have reached an 
agreement with the chairman and ranking member of the Budget Committee 
to withdraw the amendment in exchange for commitment that the committee 
would hold a hearing on expedited rescission legislation that Senator 
Kerrey and I will soon introduce, and that we would be permitted to 
testify.
  Under those circumstances we would be willing to withdraw the 
amendment and go forward at a later time with hearings on a 
freestanding bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska [Mr. Kerrey] is 
recognized.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, the Senator from Maine laid the case out 
very well. If it would have been judged nongermane, it would be prudent 
and important that it be heard.
  I appreciate the offer of the distinguished Senator from Tennessee, 
as I understand, to hold hearings on this as a freestanding piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. SASSER. I thank Senators.
  I think this would be an excellent resolution of this problem, 
particularly this late in the evening.
  We will be pleased to hold hearings. I would advise my friend from 
Maine and my friend from Nebraska that the distinguished President pro 
tempore has indicated he wishes to be a witness at these hearings. We 
will be accommodating him, also.
  Mr. COHEN. Will we be required to appear en bloc before the 
committee?
  Mr. SASSER. I would just leave that decision to the Senators 
themselves.
  Mr. COHEN. I thank the Senator.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Let me say I concur and commend him and, to the extent 
I have anything to say about the hearings, we will join in trying to 
get them held. I will be there.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Mr. COHEN. I withdraw the amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. That will require unanimous consent. The Chair 
construes that as a unanimous consent request?
  Mr. COHEN. Yes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Chair hearing none, without objection the amendment is withdrawn.
  So the amendment (No. 1582) was withdrawn.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee [Mr. Sasser] is 
recognized.


                           Amendment No. 1578

  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
return to the Harkin amendment No. 1578.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I regret 
but I must tell you I have a Senator who asked that we defer that to 
another time. He is trying to determine whether he wants to ask for the 
yeas and nays.
  I urge that the Senator do that, just set it aside for a while. I 
think it will work out if we give him a little time on it.
  Mr. SASSER. We will withdraw the unanimous consent request relative 
to the Harkin amendment.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Senator.


                           Amendment No. 1577

  Mr. SASSER. We have also an amendment pending by the distinguished 
Senator from Arizona [Mr. McCain].
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate return to the 
McCain amendment No. 1577 that has been temporarily laid aside.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair will inform the floor managers that 
that is the pending question.
  Mr. SASSER. Has all time been yielded back on that amendment?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time has expired.
  The yeas and nays have been ordered.
  The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I have been authorized to ask unanimous 
consent that the yeas and nays be vitiated.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, the yeas and nays on amendment No. 1577 are 
vitiated.
  The question occurs on the amendment.
  The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The amendment (No. 1577) was agreed to.
  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair will inform the floor manager the 
question now occurs on the Harkin amendment No. 1578.
  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, a parliamentary inquiry.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will state it.
  Mr. SASSER. I was under the impression that the Harkin amendment had 
been laid aside. Did we not propound the request to do that?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee is partially 
correct. It had been requested to be laid aside, but by virtue of the 
disposition of the previous amendments it now is the pending question.
  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, I would ask that the Harkin amendment be 
temporarily laid aside, and we will follow our usual rotation here, 
which would mean it would be the minority side's turn to bring up an 
amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the request?
  Without objection, the request by the Senator from Tennessee is 
agreed to.
  The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I say to Chairman Sasser we have three 
amendments: Senator Gramm of Texas on immigration, Senator Specter on 
drugs, and Senators Jeffords, Ford, and Brown on special education.
  We thought they were each going to have 10 minutes. I am not sure 
there are 10 minutes remaining for each of those amendments.
  I wonder if we might inquire how much time, and the Senator might 
agree to some lesser time so they each have an opportunity to offer the 
amendments.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair will inform the Senator there are 20 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. SASSER. I would be pleased to agree to less time in order to 
accommodate those Senators.
  Now, on our side I think Senator Nunn has an amendment that is 
dealing with the entitlements, Senator Graham also has an amendment 
dealing with entitlements, also, a sense-of-the-Senate resolution 
dealing with entitlements.
  Senator Pryor and Senator Simon have an amendment dealing with the 
Internal Revenue Service.
  I believe those are the only amendments on our side.
  How much time is remaining, I might inquire of the Chair?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair would inform the Senator from 
Tennessee that there are 19 minutes and 45 seconds remaining.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, might I ask, the Senator said somebody 
had an IRS amendment. Is that treating the funding for IRS outside the 
budget? Is that the amendment?
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, if I may respond on behalf of Senator 
Simon, who I do not see on the floor, I think Senator Simon's amendment 
is the amendment the Senator from New Mexico was referring to. I have 
worked with Senator Simon on some amendments that I believe will be of 
a safeguarding nature.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I understand.
  Mr. MITCHELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.


                      Unanimous-Consent Agreement

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
resume consideration of Senate Concurrent Resolution 63 at 10 a.m. on 
Friday, that the following be the only amendments remaining in order to 
the concurrent resolution, and that each of the amendments be limited 
to 10 minutes for debate, with all time equally divided in the usual 
form, with relevant second-degree amendments limited to the same time 
limitation as the first-degree amendment to which it is offered: an 
amendment by Senator Harkin, a sense of the Senate regarding Department 
of Defense; an amendment by Senator Gramm of Texas regarding 
immigration; an amendment by Senators Jeffords and Brown regarding 
education; an amendment by Senator Specter regarding drugs; an 
amendment by Senator Nunn regarding entitlement caps; an amendment by 
Senator Nunn regarding walls; an amendment by Senator Graham of 
Florida, a sense of the Senate regarding control of entitlements; an 
amendment by Senators Simon and Pryor regarding the Internal Revenue 
Service; an amendment by Senator Dorgan, a sense of the Senate 
regarding Canadian wheat; that upon the disposition of these 
amendments, Senate Concurrent Resolution 63 be temporarily laid aside 
and the Senate then proceed to Calendar Order No. 387, House Concurrent 
Resolution 218; that all after the resolving clause be stricken; that 
the language of Senate Concurrent Resolution 63, as amended, be 
inserted in lieu thereof, and that all time on the resolution be 
yielded back; that upon the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 
218, the Senate insist upon its amendment and request a conference with 
the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses; and that the 
Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Rockefeller). Is there objection?
  Mr. DOMENICI. Reserving the right to object, I think Senator Nunn is 
willing to strike one of his two amendments, an amendment identified as 
the walls amendment.
  Mr. NUNN. That is correct. I will take that off.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I modify my request to delete the Nunn 
amendment regarding walls.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Further reserving the right to object, I did not 
understand what the Senator said about a wheat agreement?
  Mr. MITCHELL. There is an amendment by Senator Dorgan, a sense of the 
Congress regarding Canadian wheat.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I understand I have to inquire about that. If the 
Senator will take that off and do the rest, I will inquire right now.
  Mr. MITCHELL. The problem is, if I take it off and the agreement is 
approved, I could not put it back on.
  Mr. DOMENICI. You could inquire about it.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Rockefeller). The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I renew my request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DOMENICI. I have no objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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