[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 206 (Thursday, December 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S19081-S19082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT--CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4 AND VETO 
                          MESSAGE ON H.R. 1058

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following 
Senator Reid's remarks, the veto message be laid aside, and the Senate 
turn to the conference report to accompany H.R. 4, the welfare bill, 
that it be considered under the following time restraints: 3 hours to 
be equally divided in the usual form.
  Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that at 10:15 a.m., on 
Friday, there be 30 minutes for closing remarks on securities, to be 
equally divided in the usual form, and that at 10:45 a.m., there be 30 
minutes for closing remarks on welfare, to be equally divided in the 
usual form.
  Finally, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 11:15 a.m., 
the Senate proceed to vote on the question shall H.R. 1058 pass, the 
objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding, to be 
followed immediately by a vote on adoption of the Welfare conference 
report.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there any objection?
  Mr. KENNEDY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Reserving the right to object. If the result of this 
unanimous-consent request is made, we will vote on the two matters that 
are referred to, but we will not have an opportunity, given what the 
House of Representatives has just done--and that is, effectively they 
are recessing tomorrow without a continuing resolution, which will mean 
that millions of children will be unattended to, millions of the 
disabled will be unattended to. Effectively, do I understand the 
majority leader is making a request for those votes tomorrow on those 
two without giving any indication as to what the majority's intention 
is going to be, particularly without a continuing resolution, the 
impact that it is going to have on children and the disabled in this 
country?
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I say to the Senator from Massachusetts, 
there is a meeting with the President tomorrow morning with the 
leadership in the Senate and the House. It is my hope that after the 
meeting is concluded we may be in a position to do something under the 
CR. I can only speak for myself. I am prepared to do that now, but the 
House has not sent us one.
  I think there will be an effort by the Democratic leader to call up 
and amend the bill that is now pending, which I would be constrained to 
object to. But there are others that will be affected in addition to 
veterans. I think there are four or five groups. It seems to me, if 
nothing else is successful, we ought to amend the one that the House 
sent over dealing with veterans and put all the other groups on so they 
will not be deprived of any benefits or delay in their checks, if 
everything else fails, as far as the CR is concerned.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I will just take another moment.
  Mr. President, I appreciate the willingness and the commitment of the 
majority leader to do that. As the Senator knows, the House has passed 
now their resolution just a few moments ago which effectively puts them 
in recess for 3 days, with the possibility of extending 3 more days, 
the possibility of extending 3 more days, with a 12-hour call-back, and 
without any continuing resolution, which will be in effect as of 2:30 
tomorrow afternoon.
  We are being asked to consent to this agreement, where the final 
votes of which will be some time in the midday; 

[[Page S19082]]
and the House of Representatives, according to the House rules and the 
Senate rules, then will be permitted to effectively recess without 
corresponding necessary action by the Senate. And the particular groups 
that the majority leader has addressed, their needs will be left 
unattended.
  I just want to know what the intention of the majority is going to be 
with regard to those individuals, particularly since the majority 
leader has indicated to the minority leader that he has every 
indication that he is going to object to a clean continuing resolution.
  This appears to be the only avenue that is left open to us. I just 
learned a few moments ago that this was the action that was taken in 
the House. And this is the inevitable action that will result if the 
House takes off and we pass this. Those individuals which the majority 
leader has identified, they will be left unattended while the House of 
Representatives recesses and while evidently we will be unable to take 
any action. We will be foreclosed from taking any action too. And I 
find that that is a troublesome response.
  I want to say at this point, I know that the majority leader has been 
very positive and constructive in trying to move the larger issue about 
the reconciliation on the budget forward. I think all of us understand 
that he has tried to be and is a positive force toward moving in that 
direction. So I am not at this time trying to interrupt that continued 
kind of effort.
  But that really is independent from the groups that the majority 
leader has mentioned, from their needs being served. I fail to see how 
we are going to be able to reach any conclusion with regard to those 
individuals because it will require both bodies taking action.
  Is that the understanding of the majority leader?
  Mr. DOLE. It is my understanding--I would have to check--but what 
happened in the House was simply to give the Speaker authority to 
recess for 3-day periods in accordance with their rules. I do not 
believe the recess takes effect at 2:30 tomorrow. It is my 
understanding our meeting at the White House should end about 11:15, 
11:30.
  If we can accomplish something tomorrow morning, which I believe we 
can, then it would be my hope that the House would then--either we 
amend the bill that is over here with a CR or they send us a CR. I am 
not an advocate of shutting down the Government. I never have been.
  We have indicated in a letter to Senator Warner and others that we 
would support on this side and the House side paying all those who were 
furloughed. But I think we have a larger problem, as pointed out by the 
Senator from Massachusetts. If everything else fails, I think the least 
we should do is take up the bill that is now here concerning veterans 
and add to it the other categories that might be affected.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I appreciate that. So that would be the intention of the 
majority leader.
  I will not object to the request. I want to commend the majority 
leader for that responsible action. I hope that during the time between 
now and tomorrow that he would use his persuasive powers, which he uses 
so frequently around here, to encourage that action be taken in a 
similar way by the House of Representatives.
  Mr. DOLE. I thank my colleague from Massachusetts. I certainly will 
make every effort. I am not certain I will be successful, but I share 
many of the views he has expressed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. MOYNIHAN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I 
shall not object, it would be the right of any Senator to ask at this 
time that the conference report to accompany H.R. 4, the Personal 
Responsibility Act, be read in its entirety by the clerk. Such a 
reading would provide the first indication to most Senators of what is 
in this conference report. It has been 3 full months since the bill 
passed the Senate, but the conference committee met only once, 2 months 
ago, October 24, and conducted no business at the meeting other than 
opening statements. The entire conference process was conducted behind 
closed doors and without participation by the minority, which is one 
reason why there is not a single Democratic signature on this 
conference report.
  I was able to obtain a copy of the conference report only a few hours 
ago, as the House completed its consideration. We are woefully 
uninformed as to the details, but may I say that all any Senator needs 
to know about this legislation is that it would repeal title IV-A of 
the Social Security Act, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and 
that it will be vetoed by President Clinton. Mr. President, I do not 
object.
  I simply want to make the point that this partisan mode is not the 
way great social-political issues are addressed successfully in our 
country, and I hope this will pass with the coming of Christmas.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.

                          ____________________