[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 19 (Thursday, February 13, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1417-S1418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR ADJOURNMENT OF BOTH HOUSES
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of House Concurrent Resolution 21, the
adjournment resolution.
I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, and
the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 21) providing for an
adjournment of both Houses.
Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I shall
not object, I just wanted to bring up two quick questions with the
majority leader.
Last time after the swearing-in ceremony, the majority leader will
remember that I said I might object and I asked the majority leader
whether I could get some kind of a commitment for a clear timeframe for
taking up comprehensive campaign finance reform. I do not know whether
the majority leader is prepared to make that commitment tonight, but I
do want to be clear that if by March when we come back there has been
no commitment made as to when we will have a bill on the floor and how
we will move forward on it--because otherwise I fear delay and delay
and delay, much like we did with gift ban--I will start to take
amendments, campaign finance reform amendments, and attach those
amendments to other bills because I believe we have to move this
discussion forward. I think people want action.
I am interested in the response of the majority leader. I want to
make clear to colleagues, because I think you need to give people a
warning, that when we come to our next recess it may be the case that I
will not agree to a unanimous consent. So I am using the model the
majority leader and I worked out together at the end on gift ban and we
came up with reform. I am using that model, and I think it is important
for Senators to be out here on the floor really pushing very hard for
this. I wonder whether the majority leader could tell me whether he has
any plan now, whether we could get a specific time when we could have a
bill--again, I am not trying to predetermine what the piece of
legislation would be--on this floor.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I could respond to the Senator's
question. First of all, it is very hard to pick a date, to say by a
date certain we will get something done. For instance, on the matter
that has been pending before the Senate, Senate Joint Resolution 1, the
constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, we had hoped we
could have a reasonable and fair debate and amendments being offered--I
believe the Senator from Minnesota has had three or so and maybe he had
some more--and that by the end of the month we would have a vote on
that after having had a good, fair debate and amendments being offered.
But now we are having trouble getting amendments up and getting a
time agreed to. Now I understand we may have, I do not know, 20 or 25
amendments lurking around out there. So now I have to begin to consider
filing cloture on something that--we do not want to start the cloture
wars this year. So I try to take into consideration everybody's needs,
and we have problems we have to take into consideration, like funerals
of relatives or the Ambassador today. So it is very hard to say a time
certain.
Another example is, before we have reform, I think we ought to find
out, first of all, what laws have been violated already on the books.
Today we have in the paper that China is working, perhaps, on trying to
get some foreign contributions, illegal contributions in the
Presidential campaign. There seems to be an article every day--every
day.
Before we start trying to reform a law, I think we ought to see a law
that is already on the books that I voted for back in 1973 or 1974 that
is being used or abused. Yet we are seeing an all-out fight to stop the
funding for the Governmental Affairs Committee to begin its work to
find out what happened so we will know what laws have been violated, so
we will know what kind of reform we may or may not need. Unfortunately,
as it is being delayed and the appearance of obstruction in getting
that hearing started, that has an impact on when we might get to a vote
on legislation here in the Senate.
The next thing is we would like to have hearings on this issue in the
Rules Committee. In fact, we will have. And yet the Rules Committee has
been tied up for almost 2 weeks on trying to get the committee funding
resolution and the resolution of the question with regard to the
alleged illegal contributions in the Presidential campaign in 1996.
Then, also, I have to say to the Senator, are we ready now to begin
to work on a bill that maybe both sides can agree to, or will it be one
where you want to stick it to our side? Are you ready now to begin to
get some language in there that would say that we must have paycheck
equity? In other words, when I talk to my friends in my hometown, union
members, some of which I used to represent when I practiced law, and my
father was one, they get irate that their dues are being used for
campaign purposes across this country without their approval or
designation.
So, there is not going to be a campaign finance bill that does not
address a question like that. So, is the Senator ready to include
something like that in the legislation?
Mr. WELLSTONE. I am pleased to respond to the majority leader. I did
not know we would have quite this debate but I understand----
Mr. LOTT. Do I have the floor?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader has the floor.
Mr. LOTT. I try to be calm and respond gently, but when the Senator
pricks me a little bit, I have to try to respond in a way that explains
why I can't just say, ``April 15 on tax day we are going to take this
bill up.'' I need help. I need cooperation on your side. We have done
that.
The Senator from Minnesota knows that last year I worked with him, I
kept my word to him even one time when there was a little
misunderstanding, but we worked through it and got it done. I am
willing to do that, but you have to keep in mind what we are trying to
accomplish here on a number of issues that do interrelate.
I am happy to yield for a response to that.
Mr. WELLSTONE. I shall be brief, Mr. President. The majority leader,
I appreciate his graciousness. I actually like his passion. It does not
trouble me at all.
Mr. President, I actually made it very clear that I am not trying
to--he has his own ideas about what should be in a bill. I did not
insist on a particular piece of legislation. We have the McCain-
Feingold bill that has been much talked about and could be a vehicle
that people could work with.
My point is I learned through the gift ban we only finally took
action when we just started putting that piece of legislation on other
bills. The majority leader is, after all, the majority leader, and,
yes, we are now on the constitutional amendment to balance the budget,
but the majority leader, I think, can be a real leader on this if we
can get a commitment that says, look, we will not have delay and delay
and delay. We will have a bill on the floor and resolve this by July 4
or whatever date the majority leader picks out, and that makes it clear
to people in the country that we are not going to just stall and stall.
The majority leader is talking about today's piece in the Washington
Post, but the point is we do not really need to find out that there are
problems in the way campaigns are financed. This has been going on for
a long time. There is plenty to be fixed. People in the country are
experts at what they do not like. There is no reason whatever that we
cannot move forward with a bill. I just would like to get a commitment.
I take it from what the majority leader has said today and the way he
said it that he is not ready to make such a commitment. That is fine,
but I want to be clear that if that is the case come March, I think the
majority leader can expect to see at least
[[Page S1418]]
on my part as a Senator from Minnesota, some different parts of
campaign finance reform as amendments on other bills. I want colleagues
to know that this time I am not objecting to the UC for recess. But,
come next spring--and this is plenty of warning--that may very well
happen.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I reclaim my time. I understand. As I have
said earlier this year, and again here today, every Senator is within
his or her rights to offer amendments. I know, as we go forward, there
will be disagreements, and I know that the Senator from Minnesota is
going to pursue this issue. He is entitled to do that. I appreciate his
comments today and that he is not going to object. We will have to see
how it moves forward in the future.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the resolution is
agreed to.
The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 21) was agreed to, as
follows:
H. Con. Res. 21
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That when the House adjourns on the legislative
day of Thursday, February 13, 1997, it stand adjourned until
12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25, 1997, or until noon on
the second day after Members are notified to reassemble
pursuant to section 2 of this concurrent resolution,
whichever occurs first; and that when the Senate adjourns or
recesses at the close of business on Thursday, February 13,
1997, pursuant to a motion made by the Majority Leader, or
his designee, in accordance with this concurrent resolution,
it stand recessed or adjourned until 11:30 a.m. on Monday,
February 24, 1997, or such time on that day as may be
specified by the Majority Leader or his designee in the
motion to recess or adjourn, or until noon on the second day
after Members are notified to reassemble pursuant to section
2 of this concurrent resolution, whichever occurs first.
Sec. 2. The Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of
the Senate, acting jointly after consultation with the
Minority Leader of the House and the Minority Leader of the
Senate, shall notify the Members of the House and the Senate,
respectively, to reassemble whenever, in their opinion, the
public interest shall warrant it.
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