[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 6 (Thursday, January 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S671-S672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The able majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. LOTT. Good morning, Mr. President.


                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today, we will be in a period for morning 
business in order for all Senators to introduce legislation and to make 
statements in connection and support of those pieces of legislation, or 
to make statements on other issues, if they so desire.
  As we announced last night, no rollcall votes will occur during 
today's session, and when the Senate completes its business today, it 
will stand in adjournment until Monday, January 27, for a pro forma 
session only. No business will be conducted during Monday's session, 
and the Senate will automatically adjourn over until Tuesday, January 
28.
  As all Members are aware, throughout the past week, and continuing 
into next week, committees are holding hearings with regard to various 
nominations for the President's Cabinet. That is one reason why we are 
trying to not force activity on the floor of the Senate, so that the 
committees can do their work and so the proper investigations and 
hearings can be held. It is my hope that next week the Senate will be 
able to consider additional nominations that may become available to 
the full Senate. It looks like there may be one or two that would be 
available next week sometime.
  So I remind all Senators that rollcall votes are possible, and 
hopefully likely, beginning on Tuesday and throughout the week on those 
nominations or other matters that may become available.
  Finally, I thank all of my colleagues for their cooperation in 
allowing us to finish action on the two nominations yesterday. It was 
not planned and it was not easy, because some Senators had made other 
arrangements. We had some Senators that wanted to go to Massachusetts 
for the wake of Senator Tsongas, and then we have the funeral 
proceedings today. But we were able to work through that, and there was 
a little give and take and I appreciate that.

  I will be sending a letter--hopefully joined by the Democratic 
leader--if not tomorrow, early next week, to also ask Senators at the 
beginning of the session to be helpful to the leadership by not making 
unreasonable requests as to when votes will occur. I was shocked last 
year, when I came in as majority leader, at the requests we got from 
Senators who said, ``Can we not have a vote until 11 o'clock on 
Tuesday?'' ``Could we not have any votes between 4 o'clock and 7 
o'clock on Thursday?''
  If we want to have a family friendly Senate, it begins with 
individual Senators. We will always try to accommodate all Senators 
wherever we can, and we work with the staff on both sides of the aisle 
when there are extenuating circumstances--planes are delayed, or when 
there are funerals that must be attended--and that's fine. But I really 
think that the practice that has evolved--and I believe it has evolved 
over several years--where 1 Senator is willing to ask 99 Senators to 
inconvenience themselves for their one need, is out of control. It is 
ridiculous and unfair. We are not going to be able to get our work done 
and be able to go home at a reasonable hour at night if we can't have 
votes on Monday, if we can't have any votes until 11 o'clock on 
Tuesday, and cannot vote on Thursday

[[Page S672]]

afternoon. So, frankly, we are not going to honor those requests when 
they are ridiculous and of that nature.
  Senators should know that beginning at 9 o'clock on Tuesday until 6 
or 7 o'clock on Tuesday, they will be expected to be here to vote, 
unless it is extraordinarily important. We are going to make sure we do 
it in a nonpartisan, bipartisan way. But I think we may have to prove a 
point here a couple of times. One of the reasons why we always want all 
Senators present is so they can record their constituents' views 
through their vote, but also because sometimes absentees lead to defeat 
on one side or the other. So Senators need to be here during normal 
working hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and probably some 
Mondays and Fridays. We will try to give as long a notice as possible. 
This is not an election year. We need to change our approach as to how 
we do our work.
  I plead with the Senators, don't continue that practice. It will not 
be our intent to honor it when it borders on the verge of being, as I 
said twice before, ridiculous. We will send a written letter to every 
Senator from the leaders on both sides, hopefully, asking that this 
request be honored.
  Seeing no Senator seeking recognition at this point, I suggest the 
absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Santorum). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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