[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4040-S4041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1997

  Mr. LOTT. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its 
business today, it stand in adjournment until the hour of 9:30 a.m. on 
Wednesday, May 7. I further ask unanimous consent that on Wednesday, 
immediately following the prayer, the routine requests through the 
morning hour be granted, and the Senate then proceed to consideration 
of S. 672, the supplemental appropriations bill, and that there be 30 
minutes equally divided between the chairman and ranking member. I 
further ask unanimous consent that following the 30 minutes of debate, 
the Senate then proceed to a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S. 
672, with the mandatory live quorum waived.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Reserving the right to object, I will not object, but I 
only ask my dear friend, the majority leader, whether he has prepared 
some time this week to take up the legislation he and I have discussed 
on occasion having to do with legislating on appropriations. That is a 
matter he and I have agreed to try to resolve at the earliest possible 
date, by rollcall vote. We would hope legislatively we could address it 
this week. We would not have this problem if we were not legislating on 
appropriations. We are doing that.
  I know the majority leader shares my view because he said publicly on 
the floor this was a mistake. We are living with that mistake right 
now. The sooner we can expedite consideration of that particular 
legislative initiative, I think it would be very helpful, and it would 
solve a lot of his problems, reduce his headaches, and get us back to 
where we should be with regard to the appropriations process.
  Mr. President, I have no objection to the unanimous-consent request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LOTT. If I could comment briefly on that. I have said here 
before, last year, and I actually started working on that a couple of 
months ago, and as the Senator is probably aware, I met resistance on 
both sides of the aisle, on both sides of the Capitol, to a large 
extent from the appropriators, members of the Appropriations Committee. 
I do not want to put the blame just on them, but I, personally, think 
this has been abused over the years and is being abused now. This 
legislating on appropriations bills is not the way to do business.
  However, as long as it is allowed under the rules, unless we can find

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some way to modify or change that, I am sure it will be used with great 
vigor on both sides of the aisle. That is not the way I think business 
should be done.

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