[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 4, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5277-S5278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. LOTT. For the information of all Senators, today the Senate will 
immediately resume consideration of S. 4, the Family Friendly Workplace 
Act. By previous consent, Senator Kennedy or his designee will be 
recognized for 30 minutes of debate to be followed by Senator Ashcroft 
for up to 30 minutes. At the expiration of that time, the Senate will 
proceed to a vote on cloture on the substitute amendment to S. 4. 
Senators can therefore expect that cloture vote at approximately 4 p.m. 
today. I guess it will probably be shortly after 4. Senators are also 
reminded that they have until 3:30 this afternoon in order to file 
second-degree amendments to the substitute to S. 4. It is my hope that 
cloture will be invoked and the Senate can then proceed to conclude 
action on this very important measure. If that is the case, Senators 
should be prepared to continue the debate and vote on amendments to S. 
4.
  In addition, as previously announced, it is my hope that we can 
conclude work on the budget conference report--and I understand the 
conferees have met today and should be able to complete the conference, 
if not this afternoon, sometime tomorrow--and the supplemental 
appropriations conference report as soon as those items are available 
for consideration.
  Now, I understand that some of my colleagues are concerned about the 
supplemental appropriations conference report and are now talking about 
extensive debate. I do want to say that I have just been advised that 
the conferees have been working and they feel they have made real good 
progress and, as a matter of fact, they could conclude action on the 
conference report even within the hour now. Knowing how conferences 
work, sometimes when you get right to the end, that last 10 percent or 
2 percent causes a problem and they may still encounter further delays. 
But the appropriators and the conferees are meeting, they are working, 
and I believe they are making progress. Hopefully, they will get to 
some conclusion this afternoon on the conference report that we could 
vote on.
  I understand the frustration of Members on all sides. It is very 
important language here. The administration needs to understand that 
Pennsylvania Avenue is a two-way street. It doesn't just come from the 
Capitol down to the White House, where we send down billions of the 
taxpayers' dollars; we have to get a little cooperation. We feel very 
strongly about the importance of a law enforcement commission to take a 
look at the overall application of law enforcement in America. We feel 
very strongly about the census issue. How do we make sure that it's 
fair and thorough and complete and accurate? We may come to an 
agreement on how that can be done, either in terms of actual count or 
some modification, but not without consultation and not without the 
Congress being involved in a constitutional issue. We also remind 
people that the only way--the only way--the disaster funds will stop 
flowing from FEMA or SBA--and the money is flowing right now--is if we 
have some sort of fun and games at the end of the fiscal year with a 
Government shutdown.
  I think we can work these matters out. We should. But everybody needs 
to understand these are important issues. This is not abnormal. I have 
been through supplemental bills probably 24 times or more in my career 
in Congress. I have been through disasters. There is nothing new here. 
There is nothing out of order here. We need to keep working together, 
and if we heighten the rhetoric and the partisanship, it doesn't help.

  I tried my very best to make sure that the Senate in fact is a family 
friendly workplace. I say to the Senator from Massachusetts, we have 
flexibility in our schedules and we have tried not to work into the wee 
hours of the night. In fact, I think only one night this year have we 
gone beyond 8:30. I think that is wise, because over the years I have 
noticed that any time the Congress, House or Senate, stays in

[[Page S5278]]

after about 8 o'clock, they start making mistakes. And some of us still 
have wives that we like to see or spouses that we like to see or 
children that we enjoy being with. So the threat of staying up all 
night tonight to talk about a bill that in fact we hope we can come to 
agreement on shortly rings hollow to me. Let's just do our work and 
keep calm and we can get this thing solved.

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