[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9769-S9771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT--CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the majority leader, 
after notification of the Democratic leader, must turn to S. 25, the 
McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, prior to the close of the 
first session of the 105th Congress, and Senator McCain will 
immediately be recognized, then, to modify the bill, and it be in order 
that the majority leader immediately offer an amendment relative to 
campaign finances. I further ask unanimous consent that it not be in 
order for any Senator to offer any legislation regarding campaign 
finances prior to the initiation of this agreement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, this is the same unanimous-consent 
request propounded last Friday. The difference is that I have now had 
the opportunity to consult with my colleagues, and also to consult with 
the President and those in the White House who have a great deal of 
interest in our progress on this legislation.
  The President has just sent Senator Lott and me a letter, indicating 
his desire to either keep us here or bring us back if we are not 
sufficiently successful in meeting the goals that we have all indicated 
we share with regard to the completion of the work on the McCain-
Feingold bill.
  Given his assurances that he will call us back or keep us here--and I 
certainly hope that that is not necessary because I think there is 
plenty of opportunity for us throughout the month of October to bring 
this legislation to the floor and have a good debate--we certainly 
would not object.
  As I indicated on Friday, I had two concerns, one, that we would run 
out of time and, two, that I had not had the opportunity to discuss 
this matter, and we were precluded from offering the amendment to any 
other legislation in the event that we would have run out of time. Now 
there is no concern for running out of time because the President will 
see to it that we have whatever length of time we need to complete our 
work.
  So Mr. President, I am very pleased that we have been able to make 
this progress, and we have no objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DASCHLE. I ask unanimous consent that the letter sent to me by 
the President be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                              The White House,

                                   Washington, September 23, 1997.
     Hon. Thomas A. Daschle,
     Democratic Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Leader: Senators McCain and Feingold have pledged 
     to bring their campaign reform legislation to a vote. When 
     that happens, the American people will be watching. I 
     encourage you to act responsibly and support passage of this 
     long-overdue, bipartisan legislation.
       This measure is of the utmost importance, and it deserves 
     full consideration on the Senate floor. If any attempt is 
     made to bring this bill up in a manner that would preclude 
     sufficient time for debate, I will call on Congress to stay 
     in session until all of the critical elements are fully 
     considered.
       There is a real need for reform. The amount raised by both 
     political parties is doubling ever four years. And as 
     candidates are forced to spend ever greater amounts of time 
     raising every larger amounts of money,

[[Page S9770]]

     the people's business suffers. We have an obligation to 
     restore the public trust.
       The bipartisan measure that Senators McCain and Feingold 
     intend to bring to the floor is balanced and effective. It 
     addresses many of the most pressing needs for reform. It does 
     not include every reform that I believe necessary. But it is 
     an important first step--and it represents the only real 
     opportunity to enact meaningful reform in this Congress. Any 
     attempts to attach amendments that would make it unpalatable 
     to one party or another are nothing less than attempts to 
     defeat campaign finance reform. And a vote to filibuster this 
     measure is nothing short of a vote to maintain the system 
     that favors special interests over the public good. For 
     years, the special interests and their allies have 
     filibustered reform. But this year, the American people will 
     hold accountable those who vote to maintain the status quo.
       Despite formidable odds, the Congress faces the best 
     opportunity in a generation to enact campaign finance reform. 
     Let up work together in a bipartisan spirit, as we have 
     throughout this legislative session, to thwart special 
     interests who seek to smother reform and deny the will of the 
     people. I urge you to support the bipartisan efforts embodied 
     in the McCain-Feingold proposal, permit the Senate to debate 
     their bill, and vote to enact these needed changes to our 
     political system.
           Sincerely,
                                                             Bill.

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, it is the same unanimous-consent request I 
offered last Friday. I thought it was a fair procedure within the 
bounds of the 105th Congress' 1st session to take up consideration of 
campaign finance reform. I still think it is a fair procedure. I 
indicated last Friday it was never my intent to try to have this come 
up on the last day or the last week. I do not think that would be in 
anybody's interest. And I did not intend to do that. I said at the time 
I did not intend to do that.
  So I am glad we have this worked out. We will work now to try to 
determine a time to bring up consideration and debate of this issue in 
a way that will allow us to have time to discuss it freely but also 
give us time to look at other issues that we hope to have completed 
before the end of the session.
  With regard to the President's letter, I have not had an opportunity 
to read the letter yet. I am always glad to have a communication from 
the President. I do not feel threatened or intimidated by the letter 
because we still have an awful lot of work to do together on 
appropriations bills. I am still hopeful that we can have the ISTEA 
follow-on transportation infrastructure bill passed. And we hope to 
even consider the fast-track legislation.
  So the President has a lot of issues that he would like for us to 
work with him on. We would be glad to do that. And we intend to do 
that. However, we do not intend to be threatened or intimidated on this 
or any other issue.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. McCAIN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. Reserving the right to object, and I will not object, 
first of all, I want to thank the majority leader for his willingness 
to take up this issue.
  As I said on Friday when he made it very clear to all that we would 
take up this issue in a timely fashion under the conditions of the 
unanimous-consent agreement, as he stated, I thought it was eminently 
fair.
  There are other issues that are before the Senate that need to be 
resolved. And over time I have great confidence that the majority 
leader will bring up this issue so that it can be adequately addressed.
  As far as the letter from the President is concerned, let me just 
say, Mr. President, we all know that the President can call Congress 
into session all he wants to. He cannot make them act. And I see from 
time to time, as we address this issue, the seeking of some kind of 
political advantage and leverage here in this debate.
  Let me make one thing perfectly clear, the only way we are going to 
achieve meaningful campaign finance reform is by sitting down together 
in a bipartisan fashion. We do not need letters from the President of 
the United States now. What we need is meaningful and serious 
negotiations between all parties committed to meaningful campaign 
finance reform. I intend to work with my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle to achieve that.
  Again, I want to thank the majority leader because he told me a long 
time ago that this issue would receive the serious consideration that 
it deserves, and he has confirmed that confidence with the unanimous-
consent agreement today.
  Mr. KERRY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I will not object either. I just want to 
ask the majority leader a couple questions.
  Mr. President, I ask, is it possible for the majority leader to share 
with us any little bit deeper what his thinking might be as to when he 
thinks it might actually come? I know he cannot be precise, but is 
there some variation here in the course of the next 3 weeks, Mr. 
President?
  Mr. LOTT. Well, we need to look at the conference reports on 
appropriations bills. We need to look at the continuing resolution, if 
one is needed. I presume it will be. We need to look at what progress 
is being made with regard to the ISTEA or the highway transportation 
bill. And we need to look at when we will need to schedule fast track. 
And we will need to consider when we are going to have an opportunity 
to take up serious product liability.
  So there are several issues that we feel like, I think on both sides 
of the aisle, we must do this year, and one way or another--or should 
do--and we will look at all of that. It is not my intent to drag this 
out to the end of the session because I would like for us to be--if I 
had my way, I guess the last thing we would do would be probably the 
fast-track legislation in one form or another and to deal with it up or 
down. That would be my thinking what we would do last, not because I am 
pushing it off to the end but because we have to have some hearings, it 
has to be marked up, go to Finance and I think Banking and two or three 
other Committees. That is what looks like will probably come up toward 
the end of October or early November.
  So it is my thinking that we would want to do it before then. I will 
try to, you know, make sure everybody has an input here. We have 
Senators on both sides that have interest. We have chairmen that have 
interest. It is not my desire to have this come up in the congestion at 
the end.
  I want to find a window. I can see a possibility of one before long 
where we can take this up and consider it for a period of time that 
everybody might be comfortable with.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I thank the majority leader for the breadth 
of that. I think it is very helpful to have that on the Record.
  Secondly, I want to ask him just with respect to my own understanding 
of the request, the first amendment is the amendment from Senator 
McCain.
  Mr. LOTT. The original McCain-Feingold.
  Mr. KERRY. Followed immediately by an amendment from the majority 
leader; is that correct?
  Mr. LOTT. No. Followed by the modified McCain-Feingold bill.
  Mr. KERRY. With a second degree?
  Mr. McCAIN. Substitute.
  Mr. LOTT. My amendment would be a first-degree amendment after the 
McCain-Feingold modification.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, if I could ask, in furtherance of the 
effort here to keep the bipartisanship and discussions going, would it 
be possible in the near term for us to learn the content of that other 
amendment, of the amendment of the majority leader, so that we might be 
able to have something competent to be able to meet on and discuss?
  Mr. LOTT. We have not made a final decision. We have a number of 
options we are reviewing. It could be an amendment or it could be an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute. And we are looking at both of 
those possibilities. But before we bring it to the floor, we will 
notify the Members of what our intent would be on that.

  Mr. KERRY. I thank the majority leader.
  Mr. FEINGOLD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Let me take a moment, and reserve the right to object, 
to thank both of the leaders for coming together on this issue. It is 
of tremendous importance to everyone here in this body and to the 
American people. And I think they both have an extremely difficult task 
in dealing with an issue like this that is of such personal importance 
to each Member of the Senate.

[[Page S9771]]

  It is very heartening to know that we have an agreement that will 
allow the open debate on this issue. Last year when the debate came up, 
there were no amendments and a cloture vote within 2 days. It was not a 
great opportunity for the body and for the members of the public to be 
involved in. So I think this is a great step forward.
  I want to thank my leader, Senator Daschle, for his persistence on 
this. I want to thank the President for his absolutely relentless 
support of our legislation for over 2 years now. And I appreciate his 
involvement in this as well.
  But overall, what I think we have seen here is a bipartisan ability 
to come together on timing. I hope it leads to a bipartisan ability to 
come together on a meaningful piece of legislation.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  Mr. McCONNELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I too want to thank the distinguished 
majority leader for working with others who are interested in this 
legislation to create an atmosphere in which we can have an important 
debate on an issue of enormous significance to our country. I think it 
is a sensible and orderly way to give everyone an opportunity to have 
his or her say. I commend the majority leader and Senator McCain as 
well for their good work to bring us to this point.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the unanimous consent 
request of the majority leader? Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.

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