[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 156 (Saturday, November 8, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12095-S12096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              THE SCHEDULE

  Mr. LOTT. For the information of all Senators, there is a move to 
combine the three remaining appropriations bills into one bill and to 
send that document to the House. The Appropriations Committee intends 
to meet on this immediately following these announcements. Those bills 
are the D.C.,

[[Page S12096]]

the foreign ops and the State-Justice-Commerce bills.
  It is the hope of the leadership that we could clear this bill for 
passage without a rollcall vote. Senator Daschle and I will be working 
on both sides of the aisle to make sure Members understand what is 
happening here, what is involved, and it may take some time for us to 
determine that. That could be as much as an hour or so. If we could get 
it cleared, then that would be the way we would intend to proceed on 
these combined appropriations bills. Senators will be notified when the 
next vote would occur, if one should be necessary on this.
  Now, Senator Daschle and I were just talking. We think we should pass 
this by voice vote, and we will encourage Senators to allow this to 
happen. But if we can't get it cleared, one option we would have would 
be to have this vote occur, and I would need to consult with Chairman 
Stevens further before we do it, but one option, if we can't get it 
cleared in a reasonable period of time, would be to perhaps have a vote 
on that issue tomorrow around 1:30 or so. At this point we just can't 
tell you with absolute certainty how we are going to proceed on that 
bill. Again, we will pursue the voice vote, and if we can't get that 
done, then we will notify you when the actual vote would occur.
  Would the Senator like to respond to that before we go to these other 
issues?
  Mr. DASCHLE. I concur completely with what the majority leader has 
just indicated. I think it is our intent to see if we might be able to 
proceed with an expectation that any additional rollcall votes would 
occur tomorrow. We can't give that assurance completely yet today. I 
want to work with the majority leader. If additional rollcalls are 
required, we will give plenty of notice to all Senators. But our hope 
is that we can accommodate Senators who have schedules.
  Mr. LOTT. One option, if the Senator will yield back so that I can 
comment, Senator Stevens even suggested we might want to have another 
vote later on this afternoon or later on at 5, 6 or 7 o'clock. But we 
will try to avoid that, and when we can give you some further 
confirmation on when the next recorded vote will occur, we will let you 
know--hopefully within an hour.
  Now, I might also note that I am being told that an agreement has 
been reached on the FDA reform conference report, that papers are being 
done now, and hopefully Senator Jeffords is working with all the 
interested parties on that. Within an hour or so, we hope we could get 
those papers ready and get that done on a voice vote.

  The Senator is now saying we may have to have a recorded vote. If we 
do, then we might have to look at doing that later on or maybe even 
tomorrow. So we will have to consult on that.
  One other one we may try to do is adoption and foster care. We 
understand perhaps there has been agreement on that legislation in a 
bipartisan way. We are trying to clear that.
  So that answers part of Senator Dorgan's inquiry. We have a couple of 
issues that we may have ready to go here pretty quickly. That is why we 
would like to have the option to discuss with the Senator and others 
moving one or the other of these bills or the conference report.
  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Will the majority leader yield for a question?
  Mr. LOTT. Other possible items for consideration are the Eximbank 
conference report, and Senator Daschle and I are working on the 
Executive Calendar nominations.
  I congratulate everybody for their cooperation on the Labor-HHS-
Education appropriations bill that just passed. The conference report 
that we have been working on for weeks and weeks and weeks passed 91 to 
4. It just shows what can happen when we finally get around to taking a 
stand and getting a vote.
  I would be glad to yield to the Senator from Illinois.
  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. I thank the Senator.
  With regard to the majority leader's request for rolling all the 
remaining appropriations bills into one vehicle, as the majority leader 
may be aware, I had not wanted to object, but I reserve my right to 
object with regard to the immigration issue pertaining to Haitians. The 
D.C. appropriations bill provides for special status or relief for 
Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorans and Cubans and leaves out the 
Haitians.
  Certainly, I cannot imagine that is a result we would want to see, 
and I urge the majority leader and other negotiators to see that that 
real injustice is corrected as they discuss the final package for that 
legislation.
  Again, I, just like everyone else in this Chamber, would love to have 
this go out on a unanimous rollcall vote or unanimous voice vote, but 
at the same time the gravity of the injustice in that situation is just 
so profound I would have to lodge an objection if that does not get 
done.
  Mr. LOTT. I appreciate the Senator's comments. She has been 
discussing it with Senators on both sides of the aisle. I just saw her 
talking with the chairman of the Appropriations Committee at lunch. So 
I know she is going to find a way to address this issue in a way that 
she would be comfortable with, and we will continue to work with her on 
that.
  Does the minority leader wish to say anything more?
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, it would be my intent at this time to put in 
a request for morning business until the hour of 4 p.m. so that we can 
talk about these various issues and see where we may go.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, if I could just suggest, the majority 
leader has noted that Senator Kerrey would like to speak. If a 
unanimous consent request is propounded for morning business, I would 
like it--I do know Senator Dorgan has noted his desire to offer 
amendments, but if morning business were to occur, I would suggest 
perhaps it occur after Senator Kerrey's remarks.

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