[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 207 (Friday, December 22, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S19205-S19206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEA-TASTING BOARD

  Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, I was in my office a moment ago preparing 
some notes to speak on the START II Treaty. I have since found we will 
have more debate when we return, possibly next week, so I will forego 
until next week.
  I heard the Senator from Colorado and the senior Senator from Nevada 
discussing the so-called tea-tasting provision of the agricultural 
appropriations bill, and the Senator from Nevada, the senior Senator 
from Nevada, said he had taken this up with the senior Senator from 
Mississippi, chairman of the committee, and the senior Senator from 
Arkansas, namely me, as ranking member of the committee about how did 
the tea-tasting provision wind up in the bill.
  The answer to that is, if it is in the bill, I certainly did not have 
anything to do with it. I thought we had killed that sucker once and 
for all. But I just want to say I really resent the situation that 
somehow or other I was in on it, some conspiracy to put the tea-tasting 
provision back in the agricultural appropriations bill. I detest that 
provision as much as the Senator from Nevada or anybody else does. 

[[Page S19206]]

  I came over here to say that people ought to be very careful about 
how they implicate other people and what happened to show up on a 
bill--as the Senator from Nevada knows, our side of the aisle is not in 
control of these things. I am not speaking for the Senator from 
Mississippi because he is capable of speaking for himself. When I get 
an opportunity, I will join the Senator from Nevada in trying to get 
rid of that provision once and for all.
  I want to make it clear to my colleagues when the Senator from Nevada 
mentioned this to me the other day, I was as shocked as he was. I can 
tell you I certainly had nothing to do with it and will do everything I 
can to take it out. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________