[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 193 (Wednesday, December 6, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18053-S18054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      FLAG DESECRATION CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT--MOTION TO PROCEED

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I hope we might be able to move ahead here. 
I understood maybe by 1 o'clock we would be able to proceed to the 
constitutional amendment on flag desecration. I do not know what the 
problem is. I hope I am not part of it. I have been trying every day to 
get ambassadors confirmed, particularly our friend Senator Sasser. I am 
still working on it.
  But I must say, this does not encourage me very much to waste the 
whole morning and part of the afternoon, at a time when we are trying 
not only to do this but cooperate with the President on an item or two.
  I hope the Senator from New Mexico will let us proceed. I can only 
say to him, it is my intention before we leave here this year to have 
the Executive Calendar cleared, START II completed, and I do not know 
what else may have been mentioned here this morning.
  I also understand that they are very near an agreement that would 
permit us to do all this in 4 hours. It seems to me that is worth 
pursuing. That is what I have been doing on a daily basis, and as 
recently as yesterday, I spoke to the Democratic leader about it.
  So I hope the Senator from New Mexico, with those assurances, will 
let us proceed to Senate Joint Resolution 31, so we might complete 
action on it tomorrow and that we might complete action also tomorrow 
on the partial-birth abortion bill and also perhaps a conference report 
on State, Justice, Commerce. And that might be all we can accomplish 
this week. But I hope we can proceed.
  I do not disagree with the Senator at all. My view is every one of 
these nominees have families. I have made this plea on the floor many 
times, regardless of who was holding up ambassadorships. I think in 
this case it has been an effort on both sides--Senator Kerry 

[[Page S 18054]]
on one side and Senator Helms on the other--to come together with 
agreement, and I was told, as recently as 10 minutes ago, that they are 
just that far apart, which will certainly resolve all the questions 
that have been raised, I think, by the Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, if I can respond to the majority 
leader's suggestion.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I certainly have no question about the 
majority leader's good intentions with regard to these matters. I think 
he has been trying to move ahead on them. But unfortunately, in order 
to get anything done around here, you need unanimous consent. We do not 
have that as yet.
  In fact, the ambassadorial nominations we have been discussing are 
still not out of committee, and the START II treaty is still not out of 
committee. They are not on the Senate Calendar.
  I feel if we could get a unanimous-consent agreement which provided 
for a vote prior to adjournment this fall of this session on the 
Ambassadors and also provide for a time and some limited amount of 
debate to get START II dealt with, I certainly would be willing to go 
with that. I think what we do need is an agreement that Senator Helms 
and all the others who are involved in this will agree to.
  I do not have any involvement in the negotiations that are taking 
place with the State Department reorganization or any of that. I do not 
have a dog in that fight, as the saying goes. I do want to see us deal 
with these particular matters I have identified here. I would like 
agreement among all Senators to do that. If we can get that unanimous-
consent agreement, with Senator Helms agreeing to it, then obviously 
that would resolve my concerns.

  Mr. DOLE. I have the agreement in my hand. I have been trying to get 
it for several weeks. We have come very close, I must say. This is not 
just Senator Helms. It involves the Senator on the other side. I do 
think we are that close.
  In this agreement, it also says we will take up the START II treaty. 
START II is part of it, along with all the nominations. I think it 
takes care of those that might be pending in the committee, too, or 
discharged. Even though they have not been reported out, they would be 
covered, too, by our agreement.
  We thought we might get this agreement yesterday. That is how close 
we are. I have not given up on getting it yet today. I asked Senator 
Helms, the Senator from North Carolina--I thought it might take several 
days on START II. He said he did not think so. He thought there would 
be one or two amendments.
  So, as I understand, once the logjam breaks, within 4 hours we can 
complete action on State Department reorganization and then all the 
nominees would be confirmed, and then START II--at least there would be 
an agreement to take up START II. I think we are getting very close to 
what the Senator from New Mexico would like to achieve. I just hope we 
can work out something so that while we are trying to achieve this, 
which is the agreement, that we can also proceed on Senate Joint 
Resolution 31.
  I have just been advised that maybe one phone call away, we may be 
working something out on this.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I compliment the majority leader for the 
progress made. I am glad to hear all this. I was not aware of it. I do 
believe it is important we make that one additional phone call and get 
this nailed down. If I go ahead and say fine, proceed--quite frankly, I 
have been asking the Democratic leader, Senator Daschle, about these 
matters for about 3 weeks now, and he has consistently, and in good 
faith, said we are just about to agree. We are very close. I know he is 
in good faith; I know the majority leader is in good faith; I certainly 
feel I am in good faith. But I do want to see us get the agreement 
entered before we proceed to consider this constitutional amendment.
  As I said, I have no objection to us voting on the constitutional 
amendment, but I would like to have that put off until we have 
agreement to vote on these other matters that are agreed to by all 
Senators.
  Mr. ROTH addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Burns). The Senator from Delaware.

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