[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.
____________________