[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 146 (Saturday, October 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           SAFETY LEGISLATION

  Mr. EXON. Mr. President, on another subject, I would like to address 
a matter, a very serious matter in the opinion of the Senator from 
Nebraska. I am chairman of the Surface Transportation Subcommittee 
under the Commerce Committee with the prime responsibility that 
committee has. I am ably assisted by Senator Hutchison, from Texas. It 
is a matter of safety on our roads.
  This is a very important matter that is being currently held up by 
technicalities, preventing some very important safety legislation to 
pass. This Senator from Nebraska happens to chair the Surface 
Transportation Subcommittee of Commerce. One of our major 
responsibilities there is safety, S-A-F-E-T-Y, on our roads, at our 
grade crossings, for all of our rail and truck and bus transportation.
  We had a great deal of hearings, a great amount of work on two 
important pieces of legislation that, at this late date, have come back 
from the House of Representatives and we have to act on them or we can 
stall them and they go by the wayside. I make reference to H.R. 5248, 
so the-called one-call notification bill, where one call can be made 
when anyone digs on a right-of-way of any kind to keep from the 
dangerous matter of digging into pipes that cause explosions.
  Connected with that is the high-risk driver's bill that was 
introduced by Senator Danforth, of Missouri, and myself. It has to do 
with the astonishing increase in young drivers. We have taken this 
piece of legislation to try and correct that, with cooperation between 
Federal and State authorities.
  In addition to that, we have H.R. 4867, which also has passed the 
House of Representatives, which has adjourned. H.R. 4867 is another 
safety bill. It is the high-speed rail bill advanced by the 
administration. And coupled with that is the railroad crossing safety 
measure that is vitally important that this matter becomes law.
  The Senator from Nebraska, in cooperation with Senator Hutchison, 
Senator Lott, Senator Danforth, and others, spent all day yesterday and 
all this morning clearing some holds on that side of the aisle.
  Now these measures then are being held up in clandestine fashion at a 
very late date by holds on this side of the aisle.
  The Senator from Nebraska wanted to go home last night. The last 
chance for the Senator from Nebraska of getting out of town today is 2 
o'clock, some 47 minutes from now.
  I hope that if anyone has any hold on either of these bills, H.R. 
5248 or H.R. 4867--which I understand have been cleared in total by the 
Republicans, have been cleared, I think, except for one possible 
objection on this side of the aisle.
  The Senator from Nebraska, if necessary, will forgo his last chance 
to go home, as most others have. I think these two measures are safety 
matters, and notwithstanding the objections of some who may be 
disturbed that pet projects that they had were not included, I had 
nothing to do with that. The House of Representatives acted on that. 
The House of Representatives has gone home.
  Unless we can get these two bills adopted by the Senate, which will 
require unanimous consent at this late date, obviously, then they are 
going to die. If they die, Mr. President, important safety legislation 
is dying.
  I will simply say that if there is anyone in the Senate, either on 
the Democratic side of the aisle or on the Republican side of the aisle 
who has holds on these bills--and we all know what holds are. Sometimes 
they are secret. Somebody is objecting to a bill but they will not 
stand up on the floor of the U.S. Senate and say why they are objecting 
to it.
  I call on anyone who has any objection to either one of these bills 
not to stand behind the clerks, not to stand behind any cloak of 
secrecy. If there are legitimate objections to either one of these 
bills, then I would like someone to come forth on the floor of the U.S. 
Senate, and I will be here to defend the bill. If not, I hope that we 
will not allow secret holds, that nobody knows for sure who is doing 
it, to stand in the way of these two very important pieces of safety 
legislation that I think all 100 Members of the Senate would approve if 
they had an up-or-down vote.
  I am pleading, Mr. President. These two are important pieces of 
legislation. The only way we are going to get them through, after a lot 
of work in committee, after 2 days now of clearing objections--some of 
them real, some of them not real, some of them where beliefs or 
concepts that Senators had that were not included in these pieces of 
legislation. We have done a lot of work. We put in a lot of time. I 
think it is vitally important that the House action be adopted by the 
Senate and the bill sent to the President for his signature.
  I recognize that only one Member can stop that, if they want. But if 
someone has some objection, let that person come forth, stand up on the 
floor of the U.S. Senate, announce his or her objection and then at 
least we will know where the responsibility falls.
  The Senator now yields the floor, but I will be awaiting for 
information, hopefully very shortly, and, if necessary, I will abandon 
my last chance to go home today, since it is a long ways out there. But 
I think this is important and I think maybe this is the time when we 
should begin to put a spotlight, Mr. President, on this insidious 
manner of unknown people putting holds for unknown reasons on pieces of 
legislation that have required hours of time and expense. I do not 
think it is fair, I do not think it is reasonable. Although I recognize 
any of us have a right to put on holds, I wish that whoever is holding 
this up now would come forth, be seen and give us the reason that these 
important pieces of safety legislation are not being allowed to pass.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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