[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9729-S9730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT--DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I will be very brief. Under the unanimous 
consent agreement entered into prior to our recess for the August 
break, we entered into a unanimous consent agreement on a bill called 
the Defense of Marriage Act. Under the time agreement, it called for 
bringing this act up on Thursday of this week with each side permitted 
to offer up to four amendments. Those amendments must be submitted, 
each side, by 5 o'clock today.

[[Page S9730]]

  This Senator, on behalf of Senator Lott and others, submitted three 
amendments. But I want to tell the minority leader and others it is our 
hope there will be no amendments adopted to the Defense of Marriage 
Act. We submitted those basically so we would have those in as possible 
amendments, should an amendment on the other side by adopted. So I 
wanted to make sure that the minority leader, that Senator Kennedy and 
others, who have an interest in this--at least it is this Senator's 
hope and desire there will be no amendments adopted to the Defense of 
Marriage Act. Under the unanimous consent agreement that was called 
for, we did just submit three amendments for their consideration. But, 
again, it is this Senator's hope that we will consider the bill and 
pass it expeditiously. The House passed it overwhelmingly. Hopefully, 
the Senate will as well, without any further amendments, so it can go 
to the President for his expected signature.
  I thank my colleagues from Missouri and Maryland and North Dakota for 
their willingness to let me make this statement. I yield the floor.

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