[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 16, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1998

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the Interior 
appropriations bill.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 2107) making appropriations for the Department 
     of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 1998, and for other purposes.

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Amendment No. 1188

  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, what is the order of business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Ashcroft amendment is the pending 
business.
  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I understand that the proponents of the 
Ashcroft-Helms amendment are not willing to vote on that amendment 
today and wish that vote to take place tomorrow so that they have a 
greater opportunity to discuss it both here on the floor of the Senate 
and in public. I am firmly of the opinion, because that is the 
amendment that deals with the National Endowment for the Arts in the 
most radical fashion, that it should be voted on first, because if it 
is defeated, there are other amendments, including one sponsored by the 
Presiding Officer, that may get a fairer and broader view if they are 
voted on in an appropriate sequence.

  So I intend, and I believe the majority leader intends, to try to see 
to it that all Members who wish to speak on the National Endowment for 
the Arts and any of the four amendments that have been offered and 
spoken to so far have the opportunity to do so and that, at an 
appropriate time tomorrow, we vote first on the Ashcroft-Helms 
amendment, second on the Abraham amendment, third on the amendment of 
which the Presiding Officer is the sponsor, fourth, the amendment of 
Senator Hutchison of Texas, with I hope relatively small or short 
debate times in between the amendments, hoping that people will have 
had the ability to say all they wish to say about them in the course of 
discussing all of them together. There is no agreement at this point 
that this will be precisely the procedure, but I think it is likely.
  In the meantime, for the remainder of the afternoon, we are open for 
business. There are two controversial provisions relating to Indian 
matters. I am attempting to get the other Senators, in addition to 
myself, to the floor as soon as possible to consider those. They will 
not require a vote but will take a certain degree of discussion.
  I have been told that Senator Bumpers will be willing to present one 
or more amendments this afternoon, to have them debated and perhaps to 
have a vote by early this evening. Assuming that he and/or his staff 
are within hearing, I hope that he will come to the floor as soon as 
possible and present his amendment and will notify his opponents or ask 
us to notify his opponents of the fact that he is doing so, so that we 
can talk about them.
  We should not waste this afternoon, Mr. President. If we get some 
business accomplished today, there is still a very real possibility 
that we can finish debate on the Interior appropriations bill by 
tomorrow evening and go on to other questions. The debate so far has 
been healthy. I look forward to any Member who wishes to come to the 
floor and propose an amendment. With that, I yield the floor.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. GORTON. Yes, I will be happy to.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I want to ask the Senator a question. I 
think he knows I am interested in the two Indian issues, and I gather 
at some point he is going to try to get the three or four Senators who 
have been working on this with him here?
  Mr. GORTON. I asked, or caused to be asked, Senator Campbell, 
chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, Senator McCain, yourself, 
Senator Stevens, and Senator Inouye to gather together as soon as most 
of us can make it. I think the lead in that is Senator Campbell as 
chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. As soon as we can arrange 
that, even if we are on something else, I will see if we can interrupt 
and get this part of the bill completed.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Senator very much. I yield the floor.
  Mr. GORTON. For the time being, Mr. President, I suggest the absence 
of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SPECTER. I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized for 10 
minutes to speak as if in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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