[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 37 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2729-S2730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT--H.R. 2646

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, momentarily I believe that the minority 
leader will be in the Chamber. We have a unanimous consent agreement 
that we want to enter into with regard to the Coverdell education 
savings account bill. I think everybody knows it has been one we have 
gone back and forth on for a week. I think what we have come up with is 
a fair process, if I can describe it while we wait on Senator Daschle.
  Basically, it would be in order, under the unanimous consent 
agreement, that we go to the Coverdell A+ bill as has been amended with 
the prepaid college tuition issue and the deduction for employer-
provided education benefits, as well as the school construction bond 
issue.
  It would make in order, I believe it is 17 amendments, 12 that would 
be offered by identified Senators on the Democratic side, 5 on the 
Republican side, but all amendments are education related, all of them 
are subject to second degree and they would be debated 30 minutes each 
on the first- and the second-degree amendments.
  I think it is a fair agreement. If we were able to achieve cloture, 
which we might have been able to do on the next vote, we still would 
have had 30 hours that could have been spent on it.
  I think to have a good healthy debate on education is long overdue. 
Democrats have some ideas; Republicans have some ideas. But the 
important thing is, what can we do to help the quality of education in 
America, what can we do to deal with violence in schools? We saw just 
this past week what happened in Arkansas, and it has happened in my own 
State of Mississippi, and it has happened in Kentucky. There are 
growing incidents of children coming to school with guns or knives. It 
is good to have a healthy discussion on both sides of the aisle and 
consider each other's ideas.
  I have looked down at the list of these amendments, and I see 
amendments on both sides of the aisle that look attractive to me. I 
think it is not only good, I think it is long overdue. I know it has 
been a long process, difficult for the leaders on both sides, but I 
think it is a good agreement, and I would like to enter into it now.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture vote 
scheduled for later next week be vitiated, and on Monday, April 20, 
notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 
2646, the Coverdell A+ savings account bill; that it be considered 
under the following agreement, with each amendment to be offered in the 
first degree subject to education second degrees, except that no 
second-degree amendment relative to IDEA uniform standards be in order, 
and the time on the first degree be limited to 30 minutes, except for a 
time limit of 1 hour on the Moseley-Braun amendment, and second-degree 
amendments limited to 30 minutes to be equally divided in the usual 
form.
  The amendments are as follows: Boxer amendment regarding after-school 
programs; Bumpers amendment regarding increased funds for Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act; Bingaman amendment regarding dropout 
prevention; Conrad amendment regarding education IRA income limits; 
Dodd amendment regarding special education; Glenn amendment regarding 
strike IRA for private school use; Kennedy amendment regarding 
teachers; Landrieu amendment regarding blue ribbon schools; Moseley-
Braun amendment regarding school construction; Murray amendment 
regarding class size; Levin amendment regarding technical training and 
vocational education; Wellstone amendment with regard to education as 
work for TANF, that is basically going from welfare to work; the 
Hutchison amendment regarding same-sex schools; Coats amendment 
regarding increase in charitable deductions; Mack amendment regarding 
teacher testing and merit pay; Gregg amendment regarding IDEA 
flexibility; and the Gorton amendment regarding block grant.
  I further ask unanimous consent that following the disposition of the 
above-listed amendments, the bill be advanced to third reading, and 
final passage occur, all without any intervening action or debate.
  Finally, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate insist on its 
amendment or amendments and request a conference with the House on the 
disagreeing votes, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on 
the part of the Senate.
  Before the Chair rules, I would like to see also if Senator Daschle 
would like to have any comment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I appreciate the majority leader's 
consideration. I ask the majority leader whether he anticipates we 
would have votes on Monday, April 20, given the fact that that would be 
our first day back.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I would indicate to the minority leader, as 
we discussed yesterday and as I indicated on the floor last night, in 
view of the cooperation we have had and the fact that the Budget 
Committee managers are going to be working on the general debate on the 
budget and have a time agreement that they are going to try to use on 
Monday, and since we have this agreement, there would be no votes on 
Monday.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I am sorry, I think I indicated April 20; I may not 
have. In referring to the unanimous consent request, he cites the 
scheduled date for which there would be consideration of the bill as 
April 20. I am simply asking whether--on the first page of the 
unanimous consent agreement, on top, you note that we would begin the 
votes or begin the consideration.
  Mr. LOTT. Yes. Right.
  Mr. President, I am sorry, I was inquiring about another issue, and I 
misunderstood the Senator's question. In view of the time that is 
necessary under the budget law for the budget resolution, I thought 
that it was more important next week that we stay focused on that. 
Also, because this does provide for second-degree amendments, I think 
Senators on both sides of the aisle would like to either adjust their 
first-degree amendments or prepare, thoughtfully, second-degree 
amendments. So I thought the best thing for us to do would be to move 
this and have it the pending business, and go right to it when we come 
back from the recess. I thought that the Senator----
  Mr. DASCHLE. Would it be the majority leader's intention, therefore, 
to schedule votes on that first day, or would we begin the debate and 
have----
  Mr. LOTT. Begin the debate, and have votes early on Tuesday, the 
21st.
  Mr. DASCHLE. The leader and I both have expressed ourselves on this 
bill so many times that I do not know that we need to elaborate 
anymore. I share the view just expressed by the majority leader that 
this is as good as it is going to get for both sides. We can continue 
to be paralyzed and in a standoff or we can find a way with which to 
cooperate and come to some conclusion.
  I have expressed myself about my disappointment in the way in which 
our colleagues have been constrained, but I also recognize that the 
majority leader, as he has noted, is giving us far

[[Page S2730]]

more amendments than what the Republicans are proposing. And so I 
think, all things considered--I know my colleagues have expressed great 
personal concern about this approach, but I also know that if we are 
ever going to resolve this matter, this is as good as it is going to 
get.
  So I commend the leader for his diligence and commitment to resolving 
these matters. I have pledged to him my cooperation to see if we can 
get to this point. We have done so. I am relieved that at long last we 
may have a real opportunity, as he has noted, to talk about ways in 
which to address a national problem, a national challenge.
  This provides a panoply of different approaches and different ideas. 
We feel very strongly, very excited, about many of the ideas that we 
have to offer. We will have that chance under this agreement. So I 
certainly would not object, and I encourage my colleagues to accept it, 
deal with it, offer amendments, and let us get on with the debate.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I say again, I agree, it certainly has not 
been easy on either side of the aisle. Senators had issues that they 
felt very strongly about. Many of them were not education related on 
both sides of the aisle. There will be other opportunities to do that. 
I think this will be a fair way for us to have an equal debate on both 
sides. Some of these amendments, as I indicated, may actually wind up 
being accepted and we may not have to go through each one of them in a 
second degree. I think it is fair.
  Before the Chair rules, I ask unanimous consent that the agreement 
may be vitiated by the majority leader only at no later than 12:15 on 
Monday, March 30.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the leader's request?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, just for the record and for 
clarification, as I understand it, there is a need to clarify or to----
  Mr. LOTT. We had one Senator who indicated a desire to be notified 
and had been in the air. He is in his State, and I understand we can't 
talk to him for 2\1/2\ hours. And for us to just mark time until then 
didn't seem fair. I think it will be all right. I felt that after 
discussion with Senator Daschle, that was the only thing I could do. 
But I think it is fair and we should move forward with it.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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