[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 167 (Thursday, October 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 1357

  Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, we have now reached the point where there 
is no further debate time allowed under the statute that governs this 
reconciliation bill, including time allotted to Senator Roth for the 
Finance Committee amendment. I am informed by the Democratic leader 
that they will have 30 or more amendments or points of order that they 
intend to offer and get votes on prior to passage.
  Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that all remaining votes after the 
first vote tomorrow be limited to 7\1/2\ minutes and each Senator with 
an amendment is asked to submit a one-line description of their 
amendment to the chairman for him to read in explanation of the 
amendment, and that Senator Mikulski be permitted to offer a motion to 
instruct the conferees prior to the vote on final passage.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I object.
  Mr. President, let me take a moment to explain. I am extremely 
distressed, concerned and apprehensive about what is going to happen 
tomorrow. All night I have been asking to see the amendment that the 
Finance Committee is going to offer as its final amendment in the so-
called tier two. And now at 12:17 a.m., we have yet to receive a copy 
of this amendment.
  Under the agreement that was reached previously, we are going to be 
placed in a situation which this amendment of undetermined length but, 
I anticipate, significant length and complexity, is going to be offered 
with 10 minutes to debate equally divided, and then ostensibly a vote.
  I object to that procedure, and until a satisfactory resolution can 
be achieved, either in terms of agreeing to extend the time of debate 
so there can be reasonable opportunity to understand what is in that 
Finance Committee amendment or, if there is an unwillingness to provide 
for that extended debate, then at a minimum, a reading of the Finance 
Committee amendment, so that we will all have an opportunity to know 
its contents before we are called on to vote on it, will be insisted 
upon or at least will be a condition of granting consent to the request 
which has now been made.
  Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I hope the Senator from Florida will not 
object. There are three provisions in this unanimous consent request 
that specifically assist Democratic Senators. First, we want to protect 
the Senator from Maryland to offer her motion to instruct. Second, we 
want to give Democratic Senators the opportunity to explain all of the 
30-plus amendments that we have available to us. And third, we are 
accommodating another Senator in starting when we are to assure that 
she does not miss the first vote.
  So I hope that after all the negotiations that we have made in good 
faith on both sides that the agreement, which has nothing to do with 
the Roth amendment, would be allowed to be accommodated, and we will, 
as I have given him my word, deal with the Roth amendment to accord 
additional time and additional understanding tomorrow.
  This agreement has nothing to do with tier two. It only has to do 
with the third tier, directly affecting virtually every Democratic 
amendment still pending.
  So I hope that the Senator will not object, and we could work with 
Republican managers tomorrow to accommodate the concerns, legitimate as 
they are. There are concerns I share in terms of attempting to better 
understand what the Roth amendment would do.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I am still compelled to object, unless as 
part of this unanimous-consent request some unanimous consent provision 
is inserted which will deal with the Roth amendment, either a 
unanimous-consent request to expand the time for consideration of the 
Roth amendment or a unanimous-consent request that no motion to waive 
the reading of the Roth amendment would be in order. Either of those 
two would be acceptable, the first being much more preferable.
  When we adopted this unanimous-consent agreement that set up the 
procedure for the three-tier system of consideration, I did not 
contemplate that at this late moment we were going to receive a major 
Finance Committee amendment with no opportunity to know its contents, 
understand its implications and be in a position to cast an informed 
vote as to its acceptability.
  I am particularly concerned, Mr. President, about the provisions that 
might relate to Medicare and Medicaid, which I understand are going to 
be two of the areas covered by the Roth amendment.
  These have great importance to all of the citizens of America, and 
especially to the citizens of my State. I intend to fully understand 
what the implications of any changes are before the matter is brought 
before the Senate for a vote.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, let me reiterate, I have great sympathy 
for the Senator from Florida. It is his right to ask for a reading, and 
it would take unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. So the 
Senator is protected under the rules, should he choose to have the 
amendment read.
  I hope that he will recognize that we will certainly work, as I have 
throughout this process, with him and all of our Democratic colleagues, 
to protect our rights, to ensure that Senators are accommodated. I will 
work with him in this regard as well. We just need to get on with the 
business of moving this legislation, as it relates to all of our 
amendments.
  This largely is an agreement that we have requested. It would 
undermine my ability to deal with the leader as it relates to disposing 
of these amendments were we not to get this unanimous consent request 
tonight.
  Mr. GRAMS. Shall I renew the request?
  Mr. GRAHAM. I will object until some provision is inserted that 
either provides for adequate time to consider the Roth amendment, or a 
statement that no motion to waive the reading of the Roth amendment 
would be in order.
  Mr. GRAMS. I will tell the Senator from Florida that it will be the 
majority leader's intention to attempt to shorten the votes from 15 
minutes to 7\1/2\ minutes beginning tomorrow morning at 9:15.
  Mr. GRAHAM. It would be my intention to resist those efforts until 
such time as we can be assured that there is adequate opportunity to be 
informed of and knowledgeable about the provisions in the Roth 
amendment.
  I think it is an outrage that now, at 12:22 a.m., we are yet to be 
provided with a copy of what will probably be the most significant 
proposal on this most significant legislation.
  Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, again, I would like to say that we will 
attempt to talk with the majority leader and Chairman Roth in the 
morning to try and accommodate the request of the Senator from Florida. 
We cannot do that any more this evening. Those efforts will be made in 
the morning.
  Mr. GRAHAM. We will all gather.

                          ____________________


