[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 61 (Monday, May 6, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4697-S4698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, we will have morning business until the hour 
of 3 p.m., with Senators to speak for up to 5 minutes each. Senator 
Daschle, or his designee, is in control of the first 90 minutes; 
Senator Coverdell, or his designee, is in control of the next 90 
minutes. If there are no requests for morning business, then we may 
stand in recess during part of that period until 3 o'clock.
  At 3 o'clock, we will resume consideration of H.R. 2937. We will have 
no rollcall votes. There will be a cloture vote on H.R. 2937, the White 
House Travel Office legislation at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Under the 
provisions of rule XXII, Senators have until 1 p.m. today to file 
first-degree amendments to H.R. 2937. Hopefully, we can complete action 
on the Travel Office bill on Tuesday.
  Other items possible for consideration this week, if we can work them 
out, are: Amtrak authorization; the firefighters age discrimination 
bill; and the balanced budget constitutional amendment.
  I hope we might be able to pass the balanced budget constitutional 
amendment early this week or next week. It is supported by 80 percent 
of the American people. We addressed some of the concerns that some of 
my colleagues who voted against the amendment expressed last year about 
protecting Social Security. We believe we will have language that 
should satisfy real concerns--if somebody is playing games, we will not 
satisfy them--if they have real concerns. We are also concerned about 
protecting Social Security.

  In our balanced budget, which we sent to the President, which he 
vetoed, we did not touch Social Security. We believe we can overcome 
some of the objections that some have if they are real concerns. 
Otherwise, we will not be able to do that.
  Tomorrow is tax freedom day. That is when people can take a break 
from taxes. Starting on the 8th of May, they start working for 
themselves instead of the governments who impose taxes. It will be a 
good day to pass the gas tax repeal. It seems to me it might have a 
nice ring to it.
  Mr. President, 4.3 cents may not seem like a lot per gallon, but it 
adds up to about $4.8 billion a year, and it does not go into any fund 
to build highways. It goes into what we call deficit reduction, which 
has only been done one other time. That was on a very temporary basis 
between 1990 and 1993, when 2.5 cents went into tax reduction. That was 
necessary to get an agreement on the 1993 budget. Normally, gas taxes 
are used for highways, bridges, and other structures, and mass transit 
to help improve travel conditions for people to make the highways 
safer, mass transit safer.
  But this gas tax by President Clinton for deficit reduction is 
permanent. We think it should be repealed. We can find ways to cut 
spending or some other way to offset it if we are not going to add to 
the deficit. We think we can do that.
  There is a bill at the desk, Calendar No. 374, H.R. 2337, the 
taxpayer bill of rights. Sometime before the day is out, I will ask 
consent that we be able to take up that bill and offer one amendment--
that would be the gas tax repeal--and send it back to the House. I am 
certain they will pass it very quickly. As I understand, there is 
bipartisan support now for repealing the gas tax. Maybe we can 
accomplish it on that revenue bill.
  I have also asked Senator Lott and Senator Lott has reported to me he 
had a good discussion on Friday with Senator Daschle with reference to 
scheduling the minimum wage. We believe we have made a fair proposal. 
We hope it might be accepted.
  Otherwise, I think the matter people are really concerned about in 
America is a balanced budget and whether we have the will to amend or 
at least send a constitutional amendment to the States and see if 
three-fourths of the States will ratify it. If that happens,

[[Page S4698]]

the constitutional amendment, if it is ratified, of course, becomes 
part of the Constitution. Then we will have more discipline in the 
Congress when it comes to spending taxpayers' money and when it comes 
to ordering priorities.
  Beyond that, anything else that should occur, we will make an 
announcement on the Senate floor this afternoon.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________