[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 137 (Tuesday, September 27, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending 
conference report and the amendment in disagreement--one amendment in 
disagreement left--be temporarily set aside, and that we move to the 
consideration of the Department of Agriculture conference report; that 
on the disposition of that conference report, we return to the 
conference report on Labor Health, Human Services, Education, and 
related agencies.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the unanimous consent 
request?
  Mr. DOMENICI. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I was not present. I apologize for that. I gather you 
are going to do what Senator Bumpers asked a while ago when I was 
present?
  Mr. HARKIN. Yes.
  Mr. DOMENICI. That means we are going to accept the amendments in 
disagreement?
  Mr. BUMPERS. En bloc.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I am not going to object, because I know 
the hard work that the subcommittee put into this. I notice both the 
chairman and the ranking Republican are on the floor. But I would just 
like to make a comment. I note the chairman of the Appropriations 
Committee is also on the floor.
  While we agree on a lot of things, I say to Chairman Byrd, we do not 
agree on the issue of congressional reform as reported out by the 
bipartisan commission that then went to the Rules Committee and was, 
obviously, altered by way of the Rules Committee suggestions.
  I do want the leadership to know--and I have told Senator Dole and I 
have left word with Senator Mitchell--that I do not think it is right 
that we recess this year without being able to offer the congressional 
reform bill. That does not mean the Senator from New Mexico is 
confident that it is going to pass as the commission reported it out, 
but I think we deserve an opportunity to offer it.
  While I am going to give up one opportunity now, because the Senator 
from New Mexico could amend one of the amendments in disagreement and 
offer the commission-reported congressional reform bill, I do not 
choose to do that. But I think the leadership should know there are a 
couple of other opportunities where appropriations may have amendments 
in disagreement, or anything else that comes down the line.
  Senator Boren and I feel a few hours of good debate on why we are not 
adopting what was recommended might be in order after all the work that 
was spent, the time spent, the witnesses heard from, and meeting our 
deadline under the mandate of the Senate, not even using all the money 
they gave us; we are ready to have a vote.
  I just want to make a case tonight that congressional reform, as 
reported by the bipartisan commission, that the Senator from New Mexico 
wants to at least get that measure up. We will get it up one way or 
another. I hope the leadership will find 4 or 5 hours in the remaining 
days to let us bring that up as a freestanding measure. We will ask 
them that again in the morning. That is why I was thinking of 
objecting.
  I will not object. I do not object, and I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the unanimous consent 
request by the Senator from Iowa to lay aside the conference report on 
Labor-HHS? Without objection, it is so ordered.

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