[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11857-S11858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             OMNIBUS CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1997

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. COATS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Grassley). The Chair recognizes the 
Senator from Indiana.
  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I defer to the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. HATFIELD. If the Senator will withhold for a moment, we want to 
get a unanimous consent so we can adopt the appropriations bill.
  Mr. COATS. I yield to my opportunity to be recognized by the Chair. I 
would be happy to withhold for a moment while the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee and the ranking member discuss it.
  Mr. HATFIELD. I thank the Senator.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, the majority leader and the minority 
leader have worked out a unanimous-consent agreement.
  The ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Byrd, and 
I have gone over this. And we also concur.
  So, at this time, Mr. President, with Senator Byrd's presence on the 
floor, I would like to propound the unanimous-consent request.
  I ask unanimous consent that final passage of H.R. 4278, the omnibus 
appropriations legislation, occur no later than 6 p.m today, with the 
time between now and 6 p.m. equally divided between the two leaders, or 
their designees; and, further, that no amendments, motions, or points 
of order be in order.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I am 
wondering if I could slightly amend to allow this Senator no more than 
5 or 6 minutes to speak on the matter that I was recognized for before 
the request occurred.
  Mr. HATFIELD. I yield the floor for that purpose.
  I would like to get the agreement first.
  Mr. COATS. But, as stipulated, it would preclude my opportunity to do 
that. I am just wondering if the Senator would amend his unanimous-
consent request so that this Senator, who had been recognized before 
the unanimous-consent request, would be allowed to speak as if in 
morning business for up to 8 minutes.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, the Senator 
will have no trouble getting time from his leader. The time is equally 
divided between the two leaders.
  Mr. COATS. That would be acceptable to this Senator. I am not 
speaking on the continuing resolution. So I will speak as if in morning 
business. I want to make sure that I have the opportunity to get that 
time.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. BYRD. I reserved the right to object.
  Was this other matter resolved?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. I am sorry.
  The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Was the matter resolved to the satisfaction of the Senator 
from Indiana?
  Mr. HATFIELD. We do not want to cut out the Senator from Indiana.
  Mr. COATS. I want to make sure I have the opportunity to speak.
  Mr. HATFIELD. I can assure the Senator from Indiana, as we have been 
speaking as if in morning business, with the colloquy that was just 
going on which the Senator from Indiana would like to engage in, I will 
have no objections to whatever parliamentary request he has to make in 
order to speak.
  Mr. COATS. That is more than acceptable to this Senator.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, reserving the right to object ----
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I believe that the minority leader will give me 5 
minutes. But it is not on this related matter of the continuing 
resolution. It is from the minority leader's time. I wanted to have a 
continuing discussion on that measure. I need maybe 4 minutes or 5 
minutes sometime.
  So I would be glad to do whatever. The measure which they are 
managing is of the utmost importance. I wanted to get 5 minutes just to 
respond quickly to the matter. So I am glad to do it in whatever way 
the two leaders want to proceed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is the body ready to put the question?
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I hope maybe that--reserving the right to 
object--out of that time we are going to

[[Page S11858]]

have the leader to be designated to have 5 minutes.
  Mr. BYRD. I hope that the distinguished Senator will include that in 
his request.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Could I include the same as I did for the Senator from 
Indiana?
  Mr. KENNEDY. That would be fine.
  Mr. HATFIELD. That the Senator from Massachusetts be recognized to 
make whatever motions necessary to get the 5 minutes after we get this 
approved.
  I would have no objection.
  Mr. BYRD. Do I understand the Senator wishes to have his 5 minutes on 
the continuing resolution?
  Mr. KENNEDY. No, just on the earlier matter being discussed. I do not 
want to interrupt the two chairmen on this very, very important matter.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that 
following the vote on H.R. 4278, the Senate proceed to vote on the 
adoption of the DOD appropriations conference report, all without 
further action, and that all points of order be waived.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I shall not 
object, I very much advocate both of these requests. I did so in the 
conference earlier today, conference among Democrats. I feel that there 
should not be any amendments to the continuing resolution. I am not 
satisfied with everything that is in the resolution, but I do think the 
time has come to adopt the resolution without a great deal of debate 
this afternoon and without amendments because amendments would simply 
mean that the continuing resolution would go to conference, and I 
presume that the leader would probably take that continuing resolution 
down and call up the conference report, which is not amendable and 
therefore not conferenceable.

  So it seems to me that the integrity of the Senate, the integrity of 
the legislative process within the Senate, the integrity of the 
Senate's right to amend and right to debate are all protected here, and 
that is what I am most interested in. We could offer amendments to the 
continuing resolution if we wanted. Consequently, any Senator could 
have objected to the request. We could debate at some length. I am sure 
that we Democrats do not want to be accused of shutting the Government 
down.
  Therefore, it seems to me in the interest of all concerned--and as I 
say, in full view of the fact that the integrity of the process and 
integrity of the Senate's right to debate an amendment and amend have 
been fully protected--I have no objection, and I congratulate the 
Senator from Oregon and I also congratulate both leaders.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there any objection? The Chair hears none, 
and it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Finally, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that of 
the time allocated to Senator Lott, 10 minutes be allocated to Senator 
McCain.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, does the 
distinguished Senator wish to include Mr. Coats in that request? And I 
will ask that the Senator from Massachusetts be included.
  Mr. HATFIELD. I would be very happy to incorporate 5 minutes to the 
Senator from Indiana.
  Would the Senator like to include 5 minutes for the Senator from 
Massachusetts?
  Mr. BYRD. I would like to have Mr. Kennedy accorded 5 minutes in the 
request, from the time under the control of the minority leader.
  Mr. HATFIELD. That would be then 10 minutes for Senator McCain, 5 
minutes for Senator Kennedy, and 5 minutes for Senator Coats.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there any objection?
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, reserving the right to object--I do not 
want to object--I do not think that I am going to ask to speak for 5 
minutes, but at least if I could reserve 5 minutes in this process for 
myself I would appreciate very much the distinguished manager allowing 
me to speak.
  Mr. BYRD. Include 5 minutes to come out of the time under the control 
of the minority leader.
  Mr. HOLLINGS. Is that all right, 5 minutes also here for the Senator 
from South Carolina?
  Mr. HATFIELD. Another 5 minutes for Senator Pryor and 5 minutes for 
Senator Hollings.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there any objection? The Chair hears none, 
and it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATFIELD. I thank the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank all Senators and particularly those 
who have been so courteous as to yield allowing this request to be 
granted.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  Mr. COATS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.

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