[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18229-S18230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT -- CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION

  Mr. HELMS. Madam President, I further ask unanimous consent that if 
the Chemical Weapons Convention has not been reported by the close of 
business on April 30, 1996, that convention be discharged from the 
Foreign Relations Committee and placed on the Executive Calendar.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HELMS. I thank the Chair.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I understand the majority leader's 
difficulty in long-term planning of the Senate schedule, but I ask the 
majority leader if it would be his intention to schedule consideration 
of the Chemical Weapons Convention in a reasonable time after it has 
been reported or discharged from the Committee?
  Mr. DOLE. It would be my intention that the Senate would consider the 
Convention in a reasonable time period once the Convention is on the 
Executive Calender.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KERRY. Madam President, it will be my intention to review for the 
record briefly the summary as agreed upon of the amendment to H.R. 
1561. Before I do, however, I would like to inquire of the chairman the 
following.
  Madam President, a number of Members from the Senate on both sides of 
the aisle have been very concerned, and the ranking member shares this 
concern, about the disposition of the Chemical Weapons Convention which 
was submitted to the Congress many months ago, and since that time it 
has been pending before the Foreign Relations Committee.
  I would like to ask the chairman concerning the Chemical Weapons 
Convention. I am aware that the committee's consideration of this 
treaty is not as far along as the consideration of 

[[Page S 18230]]
START II and that several members of the committee have a number of 
questions about it and its implications that they believe must be 
explored more fully before they are prepared to act on the treaty.
  I ask the chairman if he would describe his commitment to the 
committee and the Senate on action on the Chemical Weapons Convention.
  Mr. HELMS. Madam President, I am happy to respond to the inquiry by 
the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts.
  He has correctly stated that I and several other members of the 
committee have what we believe to be critical unanswered questions 
concerning the implications of the Convention on Chemical Weapons 
coming into force and whether the treaty is in the best interests of 
our Nation. So it is not possible for us to move as expeditiously 
concerning it as we can move on the START II treaty.
  However, I would say to the Senator that the Foreign Relations 
Committee will immediately establish a hearing schedule on the 
convention which will begin hearings in February 1996. The committee 
will complete its hearings on the convention by April 30, 1996. By 
April 30, the committee will meet in a business session to consider the 
Chemical Weapons Convention.
  Prior to the final committee vote on whether to report the treaty to 
the Senate, the committee could adopt any or all of the following: 
recommendations to amend the treaty; reservations and understandings; 
modifications of the resolution of ratification; or direction for the 
renegotiation of the treaty. The final committee vote could allow that 
the treaty be reported favorably, unfavorably, or without 
recommendation.
  Mr. KERRY. Madam President, I would ask the distinguished chairman--I 
believe at this point are the colloquies of Senator Daschle and Senator 
Dole now a part of the record?
  Mr. HELMS. They are now a part of the Record. I will ask the Chair to 
confirm that.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.
  Mr. KERRY. That is as to both the Chemical Weapons Convention as well 
as the nomination of Katie McGinty to be Chairman of the Council on 
Environmental Quality. Is that correct?
  Mr. HELMS. That is correct.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.
  Mr. KERRY. It is my understanding that there is a further unanimous-
consent request with respect to the Chemical Weapons Convention if it 
is not reported by the close of business. Or is that accomplished?
  Mr. HELMS. Already done.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. It is.

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