[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S8765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, the Senate will immediately resume 
consideration of amendment No. 1077, offered by the Senator from 
Indiana, Senator Coats, who is here and prepared to go. This is an 
amendment, of course, to S. 1061, the Labor, HHS appropriations bill. 
It is hoped that an agreement can be reached this morning to conduct a 
vote on the Coats amendment by mid-morning, hopefully within the hour.
  In addition, Members can anticipate additional votes on amendments 
currently pending to the Labor, HHS appropriations bill and other 
amendments expected to be offered to the bill throughout the day's 
session. I understand a couple of amendments have been offered and set 
aside. I know there are some other amendments pending. As always, 
Members will be notified of exactly what time the votes will be 
scheduled. We will work with all Members to make sure they have an 
opportunity to offer their amendments and debate them, and then, of 
course, we will have votes, if necessary.
  I ask, again, that all Senators cooperate with our managers on both 
sides of the aisle. They are trying to move this very important 
legislation that means so much to our country. And, as is quite often 
the case when we return from a period back in our respective States, we 
have not gotten off to a fast start. We hope to complete this very 
important appropriations bill today. We do have some problems and some 
delays. I would like to address those just for a moment.
  First, with regard to tomorrow, it is still my intent to have a 
cloture vote in the morning. We have not set a time. It could be as 
early as 8:30 to accommodate Senators' schedules, on the cloture motion 
on the Food and Drug Administration reform bill. We need to get this 
bill done. It was reported out overwhelmingly from the committee, and 
it has broad bipartisan support. Unfortunately, this is even a cloture 
vote on the motion to proceed.
  The Senator from Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy, has objections to 
this FDA reform. I thought we had them worked out two or three times at 
the end of the session, before the August recess, and then it seemed to 
get away from us.
  I hope we can get all the Senators to work together and work out 
agreements so we can move this very important legislation. It is very 
important to the health and general quality of life of all Americans. 
This is an agency that has been bureaucratic, it has been slow, it has 
not done its work where it should be doing its work, and it has tried 
to force itself into areas where it really doesn't belong. This is long 
overdue.
  I, again, am interested in getting it done. But if we have to, we 
will have more than one vote or votes on cloture. We need to go ahead 
and complete this. I think, once we can get it to debate and vote, it 
will not take very long. If we can work out something, by the way, on 
the bill, before the time, then we would not have to have a cloture 
vote tomorrow. I would be glad to work with the leaders on the 
legislation, Democratic leaders, to decide on a time when it would be 
debated and when that would be scheduled, either later on this week, or 
Monday or Tuesday. We will work together on that.

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