[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10-S11]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT--INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
introduction of Senate bills, concurrent, joint, and simple resolutions 
not be in order prior to Tuesday, January 21.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LOTT. This now establishes Tuesday, January 21, as the first day 
in which Members may introduce legislation. I will inform my colleagues 
that Members may make statements during the next day or two regarding 
any proposed legislation, however all Senators

[[Page S11]]

must wait until January 21 to formally introduce such legislation.
  I might note that we have been working very aggressively to get 
organized quickly. We agreed early on the committee ratios. I believe 
both parties now have decided most of their committee membership. The 
committee chairmen will be elected by their respective committees 
today, ratified by our conference tomorrow. I assume the same thing 
will occur or has occurred on the Democratic side. Hopefully, by 
Thursday we will have available to the Senate the list of all the 
committee membership and we will be ready for business.
  There are a number of committees that intend to start hearings this 
week on some issues, as I understand it, like airbags; perhaps some 
early hearings on confirmations of the President's nominations. Again, 
next week I understand that there will certainly be hearings on the 
nominees that the President has submitted to the Senate. We are anxious 
to cooperate with the President, work expeditiously on these 
nominations from the Executive Calendar, and the day after 
inauguration, or certainly that week of the inauguration, we hope to 
have some of these nominations ready for a vote of the full Senate. I 
believe the cooperation by the Democratic leader in this effort will 
allow us to concentrate on that. And then we will have our opportunity 
to introduce our first bills on the 21st, make our statements, and get 
going for business. So I appreciate your cooperation, Senator Daschle.
  Mr. DASCHLE. If the majority leader will yield for a moment to let me 
make a comment, I fully share the views expressed by the leader with 
regard to the timeframe within which legislation will be considered and 
introduced. We will be holding a conference tomorrow to talk in part 
about the intentions of our caucus to introduce the first 10 bills, 
numbered S. 11 through S. 20. But let me also emphasize how 
appreciative we are with regard to the early consideration of some of 
the nominees by the administration. They have emphasized, on a number 
of occasions, their desire to have their people in place as quickly as 
possible. That requires, of course, early consideration and early 
confirmation of many of these nominees. The distinguished majority 
leader again has reiterated his desire to do that, and I am 
appreciative of that and will work with him to accommodate that 
schedule.
  So, I think we are doing the very best we can in meeting all of the 
different demands that we have upon us, schedulewise, and I appreciate 
very much the interest in moving ahead on many of these nominations.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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