[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 102 (Thursday, July 11, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7756-S7757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CONFEREE APPOINTMENTS

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I had planned to ask unanimous consent again 
to appoint conferees on health care reform--health insurance reform. I 
see the Senator from Massachusetts here. I would like very much for us 
to get these conferees appointed. I know that there is still discussion 
underway regarding medical savings accounts.
  I now have something on paper. If we could review it, I will talk to 
Senator Roth, Senator Kassebaum, and Congressman Hastert and 
Congressman Archer. We will take a look at it. I had just about 
concluded that there was no intent at all to get health insurance 
reform. Now we have something we can review. I think it is a big 
mistake not to appoint conferees on this bill or any bill to go to 
conference. We labored for weeks and finally got conferees with the 
Coast Guard authorization bill. We got that done this morning at 10 
o'clock, after all these weeks working on that.
  My intent is, in short order, next week, to move to appoint conferees 
on the small business tax relief package, which includes minimum wage. 
I think we need to also appoint these. I will not ask for it tonight 
because I want to review the proposal I have.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, let me just say two things.
  First, reference was made to the fact that the Democratic caucus--and 
those of us who are concerned about going to conference on health care 
also--oppose going to conference on the minimum wage. That was not the 
case. We do not oppose going to conference on the minimum wage. The 
unanimous consent was propounded in a way that combined the two, and, 
obviously, under those circumstances, we oppose.
  I am pleased to hear the distinguished majority leader's comments 
that it is his desire to go to conference next week, and I am hopeful 
that on both these issues they can be resolved.
  The second issue has to do again with the conferees. I do not want to 
be any more repetitive than he is. But since we tend to be repetitive 
on the floor to make our points, it is important again that I indicate 
our desire to be participants in conferences. We will be watching this 
Coast Guard conference very carefully because that will really be one 
of the prototypes. We are under new leadership now. It is my 
expectation that with new leadership there will be a new opportunity 
for bipartisan discussion, dialog, and resolution when it comes to the 
conference. This will be a good opportunity to demonstrate our good 
faith. I am hopeful that with that one over, we can move to others and 
see equal demonstrations of good faith and real bipartisanship in 
conferences. I have a feeling we will not have this conference problem 
in the future were that to be the case.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, will the majority leader yield to me once 
again?
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I want to note with regard to the Coast 
Guard authorization that two of the Senators that are going to be in 
control of that are Senator Stevens--once again he has been known and 
will be a conferee I am sure--and the Senator from South Carolina is 
going to be a conferee; bipartisan. Both of them represent coastal 
areas. Neither one of them wants us to end this session without a Coast 
Guard authorization bill. Yet, this issue has been held up by an issue 
involving claimless lawsuits that are being filed in the Federal court 
system--an issue which I really felt certainly did not justify all of 
the delay that has occurred here. But I believe that in conference they 
will work it out. They never are going to work it out until they get to 
conference. It took us weeks to get to conference. But now we are in 
it. I think these two guys, working with the House counterparts, are 
going to find a solution.
  Mr. President, I yield to the Senator from Alaska.

[[Page S7757]]

  Mr. STEVENS. I thank the leader. I can assure the leader that we will 
find an agreement on the Coast Guard bill. It is a very essential bill. 
I also state that there is no question about it, it has some very new 
initiatives, good new initiatives.

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