[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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