[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 5, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1511-S1512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996--CONFERENCE REPORT


                             cloture motion

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion to invoke 
cloture on the conference report to accompany H.R. 2546, the D.C. 
appropriations bill.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with provisions 
     of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby 
     move to bring to a close debate on the conference report to 
     accompany H.R. 2546, the District of Columbia appropriations 
     bill:
         Trent Lott, Jim Jeffords, Dan Coats, Larry E. Craig, Paul 
           D. Coverdell, Conrad Burns, Pete V. Domenici, Jon Kyl, 
           John Ashcroft, Slade Gorton, Spencer Abraham, Craig 
           Thomas, Mark O. Hatfield, C.S. Bond, P. Gramm, Don 
           Nickles.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate 
that debate be brought to a close?
  The yeas and nays are ordered under rule XXII.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. I announce that the Senator from Indiana [Mr. Lugar] and 
the Senator from Delaware [Mr. Roth] are necessarily absent.
  Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Inouye] and 
the Senator from Georgia [Mr. Nunn] are necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Faircloth). Are there any other Senators 
in the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 53, nays 43, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 23 Leg.]

                                YEAS--53

     Abraham
     Ashcroft
     Bennett
     Bond
     Bradley
     Breaux
     Brown
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Coats
     Cochran
     Cohen
     Coverdell
     Craig
     D'Amato
     DeWine
     Dole
     Domenici
     Faircloth
     Frist
     Gorton
     Gramm
     Grams
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hatch
     Hatfield
     Helms
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Jeffords
     Kassebaum
     Kempthorne
     Kyl
     Lieberman
     Lott
     Mack
     McCain
     McConnell
     Murkowski
     Nickles
     Pressler
     Santorum
     Shelby
     Simpson
     Smith
     Snowe
     Stevens
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Warner

                                NAYS--43

     Akaka
     Baucus
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Boxer
     Bryan
     Bumpers
     Chafee
     Conrad
     Daschle
     Dodd
     Dorgan
     Exon
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Ford
     Glenn
     Graham
     Harkin
     Heflin
     Hollings
     Johnston
     Kennedy
     Kerrey
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Mikulski
     Moseley-Braun
     Moynihan
     Murray
     Pell
     Pryor
     Reid
     Robb
     Rockefeller
     Sarbanes
     Simon
     Specter
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Inouye
     Lugar
     Nunn
     Roth
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 53, the nays are 
43. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted 
in the affirmative, the motion is rejected.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. LOTT. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, once again the Senate has expressed its 
will on the conference report for the District of Columbia 
appropriations bill. Clearly there are provisions in the conference 
agreement that are not acceptable to a significant minority of the 
Senate, which makes it impossible at this time to pass the bill in its 
present form.
  I will work with my colleagues here in the Senate and in the other 
body to find a common ground. I want to assure the District officials I 
will seek

[[Page S1512]]

every legislative vehicle to ensure that the remainder of the Federal 
payment to the city is provided as quickly as possible. I will discuss 
with the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Appropriations the 
possibility of including the District in any omnibus bill or continuing 
resolution in the Senate, which we may consider, hopefully this week.
  I intend to get the money available for education reform so it is not 
lost to the city, and to secure as much education reform as possible. 
It is imperative for the kids--and that is why we are here, is for 
those kids--and essential to the District's ability to attract business 
and people.
  I thank the Senators who have supported us, the majority, in 
attempting to bring an end to this debate and encourage those who did 
not to keep an open mind and consider the larger issue of the needs of 
the Capital as we attempt to resolve this issue, and especially 
consider the children so badly in need of education reform. Mr. 
President, I am concerned about where we have gone. I still have hopes 
we will be able to resolve this. I will keep doing that until such time 
as we have reached the kind of solution that we need for this city.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. GORTON addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from 
Washington.
  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, are we still on this bill? What is the 
issue before the Senate at this time?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The conference report is still pending.
  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent I be permitted to 
speak as in morning business for not to exceed 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, certainly I will not object, but will the 
Senator withhold so I can make some important points at this point?
  Mr. GORTON. I would indeed withhold, and also for the Senator from 
Vermont, if he wished to speak to the conference report.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I just ask I be recognized after the 
distinguished Senator from Washington.
  I understand the Senator from Mississippi has some housekeeping 
matters to take care of first, but after that is done and after the 
distinguished Senator from the State of Washington, I ask I might be 
recognized as in morning business. That is a unanimous-consent request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I do just have a couple of items we need to 
do right away.

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