[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 107 (Friday, August 5, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, the Senate is now considering the Labor-
HHS appropriations bill and will continue in consideration of that 
measure throughout the day. I expect amendments to be offered shortly 
to the bill following the managers' opening statements, and Senators, 
therefore, should be aware that votes may occur at any time during the 
day today.
  Mr. President, as I previously announced on several occasions, 
following consultations with the distinguished Republican leader and 
many other Senators, it is my intention to proceed to consideration of 
health care reform legislation on next Tuesday afternoon. There will 
be, under the proposed schedule, a period for debate only lasting until 
Wednesday afternoon so as to permit all Senators who wish to make 
opening statements and make other comments to do so.
  Beginning on Wednesday afternoon, the bill will be open to amendment 
and debate. The Senate will remain in session through Saturday of next 
week--that is through and including Saturday. And then we will return 
to session the following Monday and be in session Monday through 
Saturday for as long as it takes to complete action on the health care 
reform bill.
  I introduced a bill on Wednesday of this week which is a blend of the 
bills previously acted upon by the Senate Labor Committee in early June 
and the Senate Finance Committee in early July. I stated when I 
introduced the bill, and I repeat now, that I welcome constructive 
suggestions and alternatives by other Senators. It is clear to all 
people that a bill of this magnitude will not pass the Senate without 
change. I expect the change to occur. I hope and expect much of it will 
be in the form of improvement.
  I am open to constructive suggestion and alternative ways to achieve 
our common objective by other Senators. I have read in the newspaper 
that our Republican colleagues intend to introduce their bill today. I 
welcome that. Obviously, the bill, as with the bill I introduced and 
all others, should and will be given careful scrutiny, and I hope that 
in the debate that follows, beginning next Tuesday, we can all remember 
that whatever State we represent and whatever political party we are 
in, our highest obligation is to the American people. This will be a 
rare opportunity to act in a meaningful and a constructive way. And 
while there clearly are, and appropriately so, differences on what our 
goals should be and on how to get there, there is no reason why we 
cannot conduct this debate in a positive and constructive way, 
concentrate on the issues rather than on the individuals, tone down the 
rhetoric on all sides, and, hopefully, reach a result that we and the 
American people can justifiably describe as meaningful reform action.
  I want to assure all Senators that is my objective. I believe that to 
be the objective of most of the Members of the Senate. And I hope that 
we can conduct ourselves in a manner so that we will be proud not only 
of the product but of the process involved.
  I thank my colleagues who have made suggestions so far with respect 
to the bill that I have introduced. I have already incorporated many of 
the suggested changes. We are continuing our consultation with other 
Senators. There will be some changes from the draft bill presented on 
Wednesday to when we introduce it next week. Some are technical in 
nature. Some correct the inevitable drafting errors in legislation of 
this magnitude. Some will incorporate what I believe to be constructive 
suggestions by Senators. That process will continue.
  I have said, and I now repeat and emphasize, I am open about this. I 
want very much to produce a good result. I think that all of us have 
much to learn from each other. And for myself, I am interested only in 
getting a result that is good for the American people--not so much who 
makes it, who presents an idea, but what is the idea itself. I hope we 
can all approach the debate and conduct ourselves through the debate in 
that manner.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, will the leader yield for a question?
  Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, sir.
  Mr. INOUYE. Am I to conclude from the leader's announcement that 
Defense appropriations will not be scheduled for Senate consideration 
until September?
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, it is my hope that we can do so sooner. 
But it depends upon our ability to get through the rest of the schedule 
and the willingness of our colleagues, our Republican colleagues, to 
permit consideration of such a measure.
  As I previously indicated to the distinguished chairman of the 
subcommittee, his is the last and one of the more important and 
significant of the appropriations bills that we will be considering. I 
have previously, and do now encourage him, if possible, to work out 
agreements which would limit the time which I think increases the 
likelihood of our gaining consent from our colleagues to bring the bill 
up and complete action on it.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I bring this up because I think it should 
be noted by my colleagues that the appropriations bill includes, among 
other things, funding for Rwanda, funding for Bosnia and other matters 
of urgent interest in the U.S. Congress.
  Mr. MITCHELL. I agree completely with the Senator. As he knows, we 
have been taking these bills up largely in the order that they were 
reported out by the Appropriations Committee. Of the last two 
remaining, the bill we are now on, the Labor-HHS bill and the defense 
bill, Labor-HHS was reported out at an earlier time. I tended 
generally, although not in every instance, to proceed to them in the 
chronological order that they were reported out.
  I will also say to the Senator that we will have to, if necessary, 
interrupt the debate next week to take up the crime conference report 
when the House acts on that. If it is at all possible to get an 
agreement and work in the DOD appropriations bill, I would be very 
receptive to that. That, of course, as the Senator knows, requires the 
consent of all of our colleagues. If we encounter objection to that--it 
will depend, in part, on other factors, such as when we complete action 
on the current bill and how long it would take to complete the bill 
that the Senator will manage.
  So I assure him of my interest in doing so. I will do the very best I 
can in that regard.
  Mr. INOUYE. I thank the leader.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I and the 
distinguished Senator from North Dakota be allowed 15 minutes of 
morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Mr. SPECTER. Reserving the right to object, I did not hear the 
request. How much time does the Senator from Nebraska ask for?
  Mr. KERREY. Fifteen minutes equally divided between the distinguished 
Senator from North Dakota and myself.
  Mr. SPECTER. I had understood that the Senator from Nebraska wanted 5 
minutes. If I may have the attention of the manager of the bill, the 
Senator from Nebraska had asked for 5 minutes. We have been talking 
about the urgency of not having a Haiti amendment, which I intend to 
offer at the earliest moment for an hour equally divided. If we are 
going to try to finish this bill today, I just want to call my 
colleague's attention to that, and we will spend a lot of time talking 
about 15 minutes equally divided, but this is three times the request 
the Senator from Nebraska has just talked about.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, the Senator from North Dakota indicated to 
me that he had asked last night for morning business. I was 
consolidating it and trying to ask for an amount of time which I made 
sure I did not run over. I will deliver my statement as rapidly as 
possible so as not to cut into the debate on the bill.
  Mr. SPECTER. To keep the time short, I shall not object.
  Mr. HARKIN. I understand the request is 15 minutes equally divided 
between the Senator from North Dakota and the Senator from Nebraska.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. That is correct.
  Mr. HARKIN. The Senator from Minnesota would like to respond.
  Mr. DURENBERGER. I would like to add 5 minutes to that request.
  Mr. HARKIN. I ask unanimous consent that there be 15 minutes equally 
divided--5 minutes for the Senator from Nebraska, 5 minutes for the 
Senator from North Dakota, 5 minutes for the Senator from Minnesota.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The Senator from Nebraska is recognized.

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