[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8-S10]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENTS

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, these unanimous-consent requests are those 
of the standing orders--for example, the setting of leaders' time each 
day--which are obtained at the beginning of each Congress which govern 
our day-to-day activities. As in the past, these consents have been 
cleared with the Democratic leader. Therefore, I send to the desk 11 
unanimous-consent requests and ask for their immediate consideration en 
bloc, that the requests be agreed to en bloc, and that the various 
consents be shown separately in the Record.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that for the duration of the 
105th Congress, the Ethics Committee be authorized to meet during the 
session of the Senate.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that for the duration of the 
105th Congress, there be a limitation of 15 minutes each upon any 
rollcall vote, with the warning signal to be sounded at the midway 
point, beginning at the last 7\1/2\ minutes, and when rollcall votes 
are of 10-minute duration, the warning signal be sounded at the 
beginning of the last 7\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that during the Congress, it 
be in order for the Secretary of the Senate to receive reports at the 
desk when presented by a Senator at any time during the day of the 
session of the Senate.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority and minority 
leaders may daily have up to 10 minutes each on each calendar day 
following the prayer and disposition of the reading of, or the approval 
of, the Journal.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Parliamentarian of 
the House of Representatives and his three assistants be given the 
privilege of the floor during the 105th Congress.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that, notwithstanding the 
provisions of rule XXVIII, conference reports and statements 
accompanying them not be printed as Senate reports when such conference 
reports and statements have been printed as a House report unless 
specific request is made in the Senate in each instance to have such a 
report printed.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on 
Appropriations be authorized during the 105th

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Congress to file reports during adjournments or recesses of the Senate 
on appropriation bills, including joint resolutions, together with any 
accompanying notices of motions to suspend rule XVI, pursuant to rule 
V, for the purpose of offering certain amendments to such bills or 
joint resolutions, which proposes amendments shall be printed.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that, for the duration of the 
105th Congress, the Secretary of the Senate be authorized to make 
technical and clerical corrections in the engrossments of all Senate-
passed bills and resolutions, Senate amendments to House bills and 
resolutions, Senate amendments to House amendments to Senate bills and 
resolutions, and Senate amendments to House amendments to Senate 
amendments to House bills or resolutions.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that for the duration of the 
105th Congress, when the Senate is in recess or adjournment, the 
Secretary of the Senate be authorized to receive messages from the 
President of the United States, and--with the exception of House bills, 
joint resolutions, and concurrent resolutions--messages from the House 
of Representatives; and that they be appropriately referred; and that 
the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the Acting 
President pro tempore be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills and 
joint resolutions.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that for the duration of the 
105th Congress, Senators be allowed to leave at the desk with the 
journal clerk the names of two staff members who will be granted the 
privilege of the floor during the consideration of the specific matter 
noted, and that the Sergeant at Arms be instructed to rotate such staff 
members as space allows.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that for the duration of the 
105th Congress, it be in order to refer treaties and nominations on the 
day when they are received from the President, even when the Senate has 
no executive session that day.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I yield to the distinguished Senator from 
West Virginia for some comments in regard to this particular resolution 
prior to the time we go to the next one.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, have the unanimous consent requests been 
agreed to, en bloc?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Jeffords). They have been.
  Mr. BYRD. I had hoped to be recognized before they were agreed to. 
But I take the floor now just to inquire of the Chair and to inquire of 
both leaders, during the leader time each day. are we talking about 10 
minutes for speeches only? I do not think there has been any 
controversial motion ever made during the 10 minutes of either leader's 
time, and I think, for the Record, we ought to clarify this, that the 
10 minutes are to be used for speeches or for unanimous consent 
requests but that no motion will be in order during those 10 minutes 
for either leader.

  I say this because it seems to me--and I have not seen it happen, but 
I think it could happen--during the 10 minutes if there were a very 
controversial motion and a Senator or group of Senators were attempting 
to hold the floor and not let that motion be made, their leader could 
come in and claim his time, which he has a right to do, and during the 
10 minutes I am concerned that he might make a controversial motion. 
This might never happen, and there might be other ways--I am sure there 
would be--to challenge that, but just in order that we do not have to 
worry about it, I wonder if it is agreed that during the 10 minutes no 
controversial motion will be made.
  What is controversial? I should think we ought to know when either 
leader seeks to make a motion. If the motion is likely to be 
controversial, I hope that it would not be made during that period of 
10 minutes.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, this unanimous consent request is that the 
majority and minority leaders may have up to 10 minutes each on each 
calendar day following the prayer and the disposition of the reading of 
or the approval of the Journal. It does not indicate any limitation as 
to what may be done in that 10 minutes. This is the language that has 
been used traditionally. It was taken from previous opening day 
unanimous consent requests that are traditionally done en bloc as we 
have done here today.
  I know of no incident where this has been abused or any series of 
abuses of this 10-minute time by the leaders, certainly not during my 
time, and I do not remember it during Senator Dole's time. As far back 
as I have knowledge, I do not think that has been done.
  I know that the leaders, Senator Daschle and I, will work together 
very carefully, and we have already indicated to each other we do not 
intend to pull surprises. And certainly if we were going to make any 
motion during that 10-minute period, we would have, I believe, an 
obligation to notify each other of such a plan.
  But I do feel that it is not limited to just debate only. I would 
like to have the opportunity before we limit it in any way to go back 
and look carefully at what the precedents have been and how it has been 
dealt with in the past, and make sure we understand what we could or 
could not do. We are in no way enlarging upon what has been done in the 
past. Once again, in all due diligence and caution, I would want to 
make sure we are not giving up a right that in fact the leaders may 
need in the future.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I think the distinguished senior Senator 
from West Virginia makes a very good point. I think the point of his 
inquiry in large measure has to do with whether or not either side will 
surprise the other with regard to tactics involving the leaders' time 
that would in some way assist the leaders in doing something for which 
there has not been proper notification. I believe, as the distinguished 
majority leader has indicated, both sides are going to make a good 
faith effort to assure that we are not surprised. I believe in this 
case that effort will be practiced as well as promised.
  I think there have been occasions, and I can recall vaguely the 
occasions, where we have been working under a time agreement and, as a 
result of negotiations between both sides, have come up with a 
compromise substitute amendment, through a process that involves the 
leaders, that may allow us to expedite the legislative process, wherein 
the leaders will use their time to make the case involving that 
particular amendment and then offer the amendment at the end of that 
period of time as an alternative to the pending measure.
  It would be my hope we could continue to work with that understanding 
because on some occasions we are out of time, and were it not for the 
leaders' time, we might not be able to address such a compromise. Of 
course, we still have the avenue of asking for unanimous consent, but 
the leaders' time gives us another option in that regard. So I think 
the distinguished Senator from West Virginia is right on the mark with 
regard to the concern he raises, and I think I am satisfied that I have 
the assurances from the majority leader in this case there will not be 
surprises and we will use this time prudently.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I could be recognized for a moment more 
before the distinguished senior Senator from West Virginia comments.
  Mr. BYRD. Sure.
  Mr. LOTT. I think that, once again, as we try very hard to make sure 
we preserve the decorum we should have in this Chamber and we have kind 
of gotten away from--the Senator from West Virginia has noted that fact 
to me, and I have heard him--we are going to try some things to effect 
that in fact and in appearance also. We have had a situation where 
maybe too many staff members are getting in the Chamber and blocking 
passages. We are going to try to address that.
  Also, if we are going to be able to work together in a cordial and 
civil manner, it is going to be important we be honest with each other 
and fair and we notify each other when we are fixing to take action and 
we not have surprises.
  That is the way I intend to proceed. I am sure we will have some 
bumps along the road. The Senate is an island of tranquility in many 
respects in this city. We have heavy responsibilities on which we need 
to act, and it is going to take give-and-take, cooperation, and I

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am absolutely committed to that approach. That will be the way I will 
proceed with regard to this 10 minutes and everything else that I try 
to do.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank both Senators. I am fully satisfied 
with the colloquies that have resulted from my inquiry.
  May I say to the distinguished majority leader that I do not believe 
we had the 10 minutes for each leader back when I was the majority 
leader the first time in 1977. I think this practice grew up in that 
period or soon thereafter. But in any event, as I thought I said 
earlier, I have never known--I cannot remember a time in which such a 
provocative situation might arise. I have never known that to happen. I 
have never known any majority leader or minority leader to transgress 
upon the confidence of the membership in giving its acquiescence to the 
request. It is just that I thought there could be such a situation. I 
thought we ought to try to clarify it and thus prevent some future 
misunderstanding. I am satisfied with what has been said.
  While I have the floor, so that I will not impose upon the leaders 
too much, there was a second request made, and it was agreed to, and I 
just rise at this time to compliment the leaders on making this 
unanimous consent request and also on the progress that is being made 
and being discussed to which the majority leader has just referred, 
anent disorder in the Chamber.
  In recent years, we have allowed too much gathering of staffs and too 
many conversations to go on in the rear of the Chamber, and it does not 
do the Senate credit. I can remember when we had no benches; we even 
had no seats in the rear of the Chamber. The staff stood when they came 
to the floor. They stood or sat on the floor of the Chamber, which I 
did not like. And it was for that reason that I had, when I was 
majority whip, chairs brought into the Chamber and a large davenport so 
staffs would at least have a place to sit.
  And then, later, I had the gallery--this gallery here to the 
northeast, I guess it is--assigned to staff. Then I had these handsome 
benches and the bannister put back here so the staffs could be 
appropriately accommodated. I am glad that the request includes the 
words, ``and that the Sergeant at Arms be instructed to rotate such 
staff members as space allows.'' I want to thank the leaders for 
including that language.
  I especially want to take the floor here so that the Sergeant at Arms 
and all Senators--the leaders need our cooperation as well--so that the 
Sergeant at Arms and all Senators will be well aware that when more 
staff members are in the Chamber than the seating accommodations will 
allow, then there is a special gallery for staffs, and I would hope 
that the Sergeant at Arms would help us to keep the number of staff 
people in the Chamber down. I assure both leaders they will have my 
cooperation. I try, as I see that there are too many staff people--and 
I have two or three staff persons--I try to send mine out so as to 
leave only one. I am very much heartened by the letters that I have 
received from both leaders in response to concerns such as this, that I 
have expressed.
  I foresee that we Senators are going to be even more proud of our 
leaders in the future than perhaps we have been at some times in the 
past. I see not only a willingness but a desire on the part of both 
leaders to have Members speak to them about matters that concern us. As 
I have noted, I followed through on that, and that has not been the end 
of it. Both leaders have written to me to let me know that they are 
aware of a matter and that they are working on it. I thank both, and I 
think it is to the credit of the two leaders, and certainly will 
redound to the credit of the Senate, if we can have better order in the 
coming days.
  I thank both leaders.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. LOTT. I thank again the Senator from West Virginia for his 
comments. I am pleased that he noted this unanimous-consent agreement. 
The Sergeant at Arms is on the floor. We have discussed this matter, 
and we are undertaking procedures to set up this rotation of staff 
members. We are making sure that Senators are informed of that. We will 
remind Senators, probably on the 21st, of a number of these types of 
things so that they will not be surprised, and call on Members on both 
sides for their cooperation and courtesy. In fact, at the concluding 
part of our unanimous consent request today I will make a few comments 
about how we are going to try to reestablish some of the proper 
procedures, respect for each other's needs as Senators, and call on our 
Senators to be aware of that and to assist us as we try to do that. So 
we are not going to forget and, while we are not going to be 
dictatorial about it, we are going to try our very best to ask our 
Senators to recognize this is in the best interests of the institution 
and will allow us to do our work in a more efficient and effective way, 
I do believe.
  Mr. BYRD. I thank the leader. We owe it to the Senate, we owe it to 
the membership, we owe it to the people of the United States of America 
with whom the power resides.
  I thank the leader.

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