[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2926-S2927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PRESIDIO PROPERTIES ADMINISTRATION ACT

  Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, I want to echo what our distinguished 
minority leader has said. There are over 50 pieces of parks or public 
lands legislation in the bill on which we just refused to invoke 
cloture. I have two pieces of legislation in that package that are very 
important to me. I received no pleasure in voting against cloture and 
knowing that I have to start all over again moving those two bills.
  I do not mind telling you this is a lousy way to legislate. It is 
like hanging a Damocles sword over your head by saying, ``If you will 
vote for these 52 goodies, you are going to have to choke this bad one 
down too''; 49 Senators said they were not willing to do that.
  They are all good pieces of legislation. If we want to sit here and 
talk about who had holds on those bills over the past few months, or 
the minimum wage bill, that is fine. However, that does not solve 
anything. As the minority leader stated, within 30 seconds we can pass 
more than 50 bills, 100 to zip, by simply removing the Utah wilderness 
bill.
  Having said that, let me also say these things are no fun. Nobody has 
more respect for the two Senators from Utah than I do. Senator Bennett 
and I have worked together for endless hours trying to reform the 
concessions policies of the National Park System.
  Therefore, it is not easy for me to filibuster and require a cloture 
vote on something that is so important to the Senators from Utah. But 
there are times, regardless of how close a friend you may be and how 
much respect you may have for another Senator, that you have to stand 
up for something you really feel is critically important. Perhaps the 
majority leader and the minority leader could sit down with the Senator 
from Alaska, who is chairman of our committee, and with Secretary 
Babbitt.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 1 additional 
minute.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BUMPERS. And come back to this floor and do something very 
responsible that would be very pleasing to the people of this country. 
If the people of our country saw the Democrats and the Republicans 
joining hands, to pass more than 50 pieces of legislation in a 
bipartisan spirit, everyone in America would applaud. I promise you it 
would lift the morale of the country ever so slightly.
  We ought to do it, and we certainly ought to do it before we check 
out of here tonight. I want to sit down with the two Senators from 
Utah. As I have suggested, perhaps the majority and minority leaders 
can participate along with the chairman and ranking member of the 
Energy Committee, and Secretary Babbitt and work on the Utah wilderness 
bill. I would like to get that contentious item off of the calendar.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. I agree.
  Mr. BUMPERS. People operating in good faith around here can do it. I 
am very pleased with the outcome of the cloture vote. I want my 
colleagues from Utah to know they are my friends. I hope we can work 
something out with regards to this legislation. I yield the floor.
  Mrs. BOXER addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, do I need unanimous consent to speak for 1 
minute?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 1 
minute on the subject.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. BOXER. I thank my colleagues for their patience.
  I just feel for some of us here in the Senate, particularly the two 
Senators from California, feel it is an awfully difficult situation 
when you have worked so long and hard and you have built up the kind of 
bipartisan support that we have for the Presidio, from the majority 
leader, to the minority leader, to Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who 
literally came in and saved the thing, to Senator Bumpers for being 
there for us through all the ups and downs of this battle, and to see 
it all come down in a crashing blow because of another issue, is 
awfully difficult for all of us.

  I do hope that we can work something out on Utah wilderness, either 
by saying that it will come up in another context on its own--it does 
deserve the attention on its own. I support what Senator Bumpers 
recommended, which is a high-powered meeting with the Senators 
themselves, a high-powered meeting to sit down with those who have 
taken such an interest in this, Senator Bradley and others, to try and 
resolve these differences and these problems.
  I just want to say that we have a crown jewel of a national park in 
the Presidio, but if we do not quickly set up a trust and get to work 
making sure that there is upkeep, that the buildings are put to good 
and proper use, and that the income from those buildings go to repair 
the facilities and keep them pristine, we will lose this priceless 
jewel. I do not think anyone wants that to happen.
  I was very pleased that Senator Daschle made a unanimous-consent 
request to pass Presidio on its own, because I think that we need to 
keep coming back to that point. There is no controversy there. I was 
heartened by the majority leader's comments that he is going to do what 
he can to make it happen. The clock is ticking on this priceless jewel. 
I hope we can reach across party lines as we did when we gained all the 
support to solve the

[[Page S2927]]

Utah wilderness problem, pass this bill, without that attached to it.
  I think we could all go home as Republicans and Democrats and be 
proud of what we have done. Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 2 
minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I support the comments of my colleague 
on the Presidio. I have lived all my life one block from the Presidio. 
I know it well. The Presidio bill is predicated on something that is 
unique. It is a private-public partnership whereby the more than 500 
historic buildings and the additional buildings would be leased out, 
with a hope that over a 15-year-period it would be able to make public 
areas of the Presidio self-supporting.
  Having said this, I am hopeful that every Member of this body could 
realize the longer it takes to get a bill, the more in jeopardy that 
plan becomes. Because of the rains, because of the fact that many of 
these buildings are now boarded up, they are subject to intrusion, to 
vandalism; they are subject to the absence of an adequate policing 
authority on that 1,500-acre post. The Presidio, by each day of delay, 
is placed in jeopardy.

  I am also hopeful, and I address these remarks to the distinguished 
majority leader, that he would be willing to become a party to 
negotiations which I think can go on, on the subject of the Utah 
wilderness, so that we might be able to get an agreement that would be 
satisfactory to the two Senators from Utah, as well. I think it is 
possible. I think that every area is not the same as Yellowstone or 
Yosemite. They have certain unique characteristics which need to have 
attention, as well.
  I am hopeful, Mr. Leader, that in the ensuing days, perhaps under 
your auspice, there might be negotiations which could be carried out. 
At least we should try and see if we cannot get some agreement which 
can either enable the package to move ahead as a package, or enable the 
Presidio, something which my colleague just said, does have unanimous 
consent in this body, to move ahead.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I am happy to indicate for the record that I 
would be pleased to try to be helpful in an effort to resolve the 
differences. Obviously, the one big difference is the Utah wilderness 
provision. The other projects, I understand, are not particularly 
controversial. I indicate that I am happy to be of help, or to take the 
leadership and try to bring people together. I have already spoken 
briefly to the distinguished Senator from Alaska, Senator Murkowski. It 
is the hope in the next few days we can make some progress.

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