[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4749-S4750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REGULATORY TRANSITION ACT

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I wish to commend, first of all, Senator 
Nickles and Senator Reid for their leadership over the last couple of 
days. The legislation that the Senate will be voting on a little later 
on is legislation that I believe enjoys broad bipartisan support. It 
does so because it is moderate, because it addresses a serious problem, 
and because it gives us a tool with which to work more effectively 
through the regulatory morass that has existed now for a long period of 
time.
  I think it is equally clear that the moratorium is dead. We have 
driven a wooden stake through the heart of the moratorium. It is dead 
and I say good riddance.
  This legislation, were it to come up again out of conference, would 
suffer the same consequences. I want everyone to understand the great 
disappointment that would be felt on our side were the moratorium to 
come back at some later date or in some other form. We have negotiated 
and worked in good faith, and I think we, as a result of that good-
faith work over the last couple of days, have come up with an 
alternative to the moratorium, something that we expect to be an 
effective tool, something that we strongly support on this side of the 
aisle.
  We have laid out the adverse consequences of a moratorium. I believe 
that both Republicans and Democrats want to ensure that we do not 
jeopardize meat safety, that we do not jeopardize children with 
dangerous toys, that we do not jeopardize women with the loss of good 
mammography, that we do not jeopardize people with the problems that a 
moratorium would 
[[Page S4750]] have created in our efforts to achieve clean air and 
clean water.
  So we recognize that a moratorium is an extreme measure that, 
frankly, does not work. It is an extreme measure that may have been 
part of a 100-day plan in the House. Nevertheless, I do not care 
whether we take 1,000 days in the State, it is not something that we 
can support here.
  Let me also commend Senators Glenn and Levin for their work over the 
last couple of days. They have improved the original version of the 
regulatory veto in a very significant way. I think their efforts have 
given even greater life and support to the concept that Senators Reid 
and Nickles have presented to the Senate in the regulatory veto.
  Let me just say in closing, Mr. President, that this is an example of 
the moderating influence of the Senate. We have seen extreme measures 
acted upon in the House over the last couple of months. Those extreme 
measures are not ones that we feel very comfortable with on this side 
of Capitol Hill. Indeed, we had similar reactions to the House 
proposals on unfunded mandates, congressional coverage, and line-item 
veto, and a number of very important pieces of legislation.
  Because of the moderating influence of the Senate, because of the 
ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together more effectively, 
we have been able to take the extreme proposals and put them away, 
hopefully for good, and pass legislation that many of us are very 
pleased to support.

                          ____________________