[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11695-S11696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ORDER OF PROCEDURE
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, we are continuing to work in an effort to
get consideration of the FAA reauthorization bill. This is very
important legislation. It does have a number of provisions related to
the trust fund and to airport safety. It is vital to this country that
we get this legislation completed.
There has been an objection by Senator Feingold, a Senator from
Wisconsin, to this very important legislation,
[[Page S11696]]
making it necessary for us to find a way to bring it to a conclusion,
perhaps filing cloture, and get a cloture vote. I am satisfied we can
win a cloture vote. There is overwhelming bipartisan support. This
legislation has been developed very carefully from the Commerce
Committee, with the aid and assistance of Senator Stevens of Alaska,
Senator Ford from Kentucky, Senator Hollings has been involved, Senator
McCain managed the bill on the floor. It has passed the House, and now
because of one provision that labor does not like, the Senator is
prepared to take down the entire FAA reauthorization bill. I just do
not understand that. We are willing to be reasonable and we are going
to as far as we can.
Now because of our effort to advise Members that we would not have
further recorded votes today, an effort is being made to take advantage
of that, to block a cloture vote on Monday. I feel like that is not
acting in good faith and we are not going to be able to accept that. We
will force this to a vote. When a vote occurs, this legislation will
pass because it does have bipartisan support.
I call on Senators that have reservations to give us an opportunity
to at least get this to a vote without inconveniencing the entire
Senate. We are willing to be reasonable in terms of time for discussion
and a vote, but unless we get some cooperation, it appears that the
entire Senate would be delayed in completing its work.
We also are continuing to hope we can find a way to move the so-
called Presidio parks bill. The Senator from Alaska and the Senator
from Washington have been very much involved in that. There have been
good-faith efforts on that one, up and down the Hill, the whole
package, a very small package of three or four items, maybe half that
number, half the full omnibus bill. Surely there is a way we can get
this major legislation completed in a fair way. It is not fair to have
something agreed to that does include some very important items that
the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Senator
from Alaska, Senator Murkowski, has a right to be consulted and
involved in selecting the project. I know Senators and Congressmen from
all over America have parks heritage trails, scenic areas, areas that
need to be preserved, and yet we have continued to have an objection to
moving this forward.
I hope the next time we make an effort to get a unanimous-consent
request to move the omnibus parks bill, the Presidio bill, that there
would not be objection to that, and the technical correction that needs
to be made could be dealt with in conference, and we can move this
legislation through, legislation that has been in the making for,
actually, many years, to my own personal knowledge, at least 4 years.
It will be a real sad thing if we leave the Senate on Monday for the
year without completing the parks bill.
You have the Presidio that has bipartisan support. It is a Federal
burden in terms of costs. This is a plan to make use of the Presidio
and not have the Federal Government have to continue to bear these
costs. It does have the Sterling Forest project in New Jersey and New
York, and projects all over America. In short, we need to get this
done. I hope we can get a correction here, when we move next to get
unanimous consent to take that bill back to the conference and have the
correction made or to pass something before we leave.
I want to read a letter I just received from the President of the
United States, apparently he dictated this while in Providence, RI,
with regard to the agreement that was worked out on the omnibus
appropriations bill. The letter says:
Dear Mr. Leader:
I commend the leadership for their fine work in negotiating
a workable Omnibus Appropriations Bill that demonstrates
fiscal responsibility and preserves those investment
priorities important to the American people.
I urge the Congress to expeditiously pass the Omnibus
Appropriations Bill. I intend to sign it if presented to me
in its current form.
This is signed by the President of the United States.
This has been a bipartisan effort, bicameral effort, an effort
working between the Congress and the White House. I think it is a good
product. There are a lot of Senators and House Members that are not
totally happy with it, and there are some provisions in it that I am
sure the White House is not totally happy with. But that is the art of
legislating. It involves some bipartisan, commonsense compromise. I
think that is what we have in this legislation.
We asked for the President to indicate his support. He has now done
so. I think that is helpful, and I think the American people will
appreciate the kind of cooperation we have had.
I ask unanimous consent that it be printed at this point in the
Record.
There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
The White House, Washington
Providence, RI, September 28, 1996.
Hon. Trent Lott,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Leader: I commend the Leadership for their fine
work in negotiating a workable Omnibus Appropriations Bill
that demonstrates fiscal responsibility and preserves those
investment priorities important to the American people.
I urge the Congress to expeditiously pass the Omnibus
Appropriations Bill. I intend to sign it if presented to me
in its current form.
Sincerely,
Bill Clinton.
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