[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 33 (Monday, March 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2393-S2394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR NATURAL DISASTERS AND OVERSEAS 
               PEACEKEEPING EFFORTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1998

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.


                         Privilege of the Floor

  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I have a list at the desk. I ask 
unanimous consent these members of the staff of the Appropriations 
Committee be admitted to the floor during the consideration of the 
supplemental.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The list is as follows:

                     Appropriations Committee Staff

       Carolyn E. Apostolou, Sid Ashworth, Liz Blevins, Wally 
     Burnett, Andrew R. Cavnar, Jennifer Chartrand, Liz Connell, 
     Christine Ciccone, Robin Cleveland, John J. Conway, Steve 
     Cortese, Gregory Daines, Dick D'Amato, Rebecca Davies, Mary 
     Dewald, Emelie East, Lula Edwards, James H. English, Bruce 
     Evans, Alex Flint, and Galen Fountain.
       Carole Geagley, Andrew Givens, Rachelle Graves, Scott 
     Gudes, David Gwaltney, Tom Hawkins, Susan Hogan, Charlie 
     Houy, Ginny James, Kevin Johnson, Jon Kamark, Jay Kimmitt, 
     Lashawnda Leftwich, Paddy Link, Kevin Linsky, Mary Marshall, 
     Sue Masica, Mazie Mattson, Anne McInerney, and Jim Morhard.
       Mary Beth Nethercutt, Joseph Norrell, Dona Pate, Tammy 
     Perrin, Martha Scott Poindexter, Robert W. Putnam, Dana Quam, 
     John Raffetto, Michelle Randolph, Pat Raymond, Gary Reese, 
     Barbara Ann Retzlaff, Tim Reiser, Peter Rogoff, Joyce Rose, 
     Terry Sauvain, Marsha Simon, Jennifer Stiefel, Lisa 
     Sutherland, Betty Lou Taylor, Scott Thomasson, Justin Weddle, 
     Paul Weinberger, and John Young.

  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, on page 18 of our committee report, it 
stated that $10 million is provided for the national forest system 
account within the Forest Service. This does not accurately reflect the 
action taken in the committee markup. We added $2 million for payments 
to States, pursuant to section 405 of the bill. The total in the bill 
for the national forest system should be $12 million. I ask that the 
bill be corrected accordingly.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, the Senator from Georgia is here and 
wishes to have time while we are on the defense bill to respond to the 
Senators from Massachusetts and Connecticut.
  I announce to the Senate, as soon as the Senator from Arizona, Mr. 
McCain, arrives he will present an amendment and that amendment will be 
voted on at 5:30 today. It would be my hope that we also would be able 
to take a series of amendments prior to that time, amendments that we 
have been working on with individual Senators. It should take us 20 to 
30 minutes to deal with four or five amendments that will be accepted.
  I ask unanimous consent the Senator from Georgia be allowed a time 
now not to exceed the time taken by the Senators from Massachusetts and 
Connecticut and that time take place as soon as possible.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection?
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Reserving the right to object, and I shall not, I 
wonder whether or not, before the Senator from Arizona comes to the 
floor, I might have 10 minutes to speak on education following Senator 
Coverdell, if there is time.
  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I am a little reluctant. What we are 
getting into is an equal time situation. Every time one Senator speaks 
the other side wants to answer. If we can find some way to add the 
Senator's time to what has already been used on your side of the aisle 
on the education matter and agree now how long that will be--the leader 
wants some time, too. The Senator is entitled, as I understand, to 
about 25 or 26 minutes already because of the statements made

[[Page S2394]]

concerning education, if we follow an equal time proposition. I do want 
the floor at no later than 10 minutes of 5 o'clock to go into these 
other amendments, and even prefer to have it before that.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. STEVENS. I yield to the Senator.
  Mr. COVERDELL. I wonder, to facilitate this so the response can be 
conclusive, if the Senator from Minnesota would agree to taking the 
next 5 or 6 minutes or so and make a statement and then we would take 
our 30 minutes at that point and try to respond to the other side.
  Would that facilitate the Senator from Minnesota?
  Mr. STEVENS. Would that meet the Senator's approval? We want to get 
back to the defense bill before the afternoon is over.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Madam President, I can do it. I will need about 10 
minutes. I am pleased to do it either way. Since I am on the floor, I 
wanted to make sure I had a chance to speak. If the Senator from 
Georgia would rather I precede him, and he wants to respond to all of 
us, we will get a chance to get back to this. I would love to respond 
to what my colleague from Georgia has to say, but I am pleased to do it 
that way.
  Mr. STEVENS. I say to my friend, the difficulty is that we started 
off with what was supposed to be 5 minutes for each Senator and that 
turned into 26 minutes and now we are about ready to do the same thing. 
I do want to limit the time. I hope he will agree with me that we will 
proceed and the Senator would take his 10 minutes now and the Senator 
from Georgia has 35 minutes. I will still be back here by 25 minutes of 
5 o'clock.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the request? Without 
objection, it is so ordered.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota is recognized.

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