[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3666-S3667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE AGENDA OF THE SENATE

  Mr. DORGAN. Now, Mr. President, just a couple final points.
  The agenda of the Senate--I was talking here about the agenda of the 
Federal Reserve Board, something I do not control. I guess the same is 
probably true with respect to the agenda of the Senate, because the 
majority leader controls the agenda of the Senate. He determines what 
to bring to the floor of the Senate for debate, and the agenda for the 
U.S. Senate is a very important agenda.

  In front of us in the coming weeks I hope will be the following 
pieces of legislation, some of which are already very, very late. The 
so-called highway bill or ISTEA bill which is very important. It should 
have been passed last year. It is now in conference. We need to get 
that and get it done. It is important for this country, an investment 
of roads and infrastructure.
  The tobacco bill. We have just passed a tobacco bill out of the 
Senate Commerce Committee. It should be ready to come to the floor of 
the Senate. I hope it is done sooner rather than later. A supplemental 
disaster bill--that bill has been passed for some while, and the Senate 
is now in conference. In fact, I am a conferee. We will have a 
conference at 2 o'clock this afternoon. That ought to be done. There is 
no excuse, especially with respect to the disaster funds, for further 
delay. That ought not sit there waiting. This Congress has a 
responsibility to get that work done and bring it to the floor of the 
Senate.
  Another important issue that we want brought to the floor of the 
Senate as soon as possible is the Patients Bill of Rights, which deals 
with managed care and the abuses that are occurring in managed care in 
this country.
  Those are just a handful of bills we want to be brought to the Senate 
floor soon. Some of them have already been through the Senate and have 
been languishing in conference. The highway bill, for example, the 
supplemental disaster bill, others, need to come to the floor so we can 
make some progress on them.
  I ask the majority leader and all others on both sides of the aisle 
in the Senate that we do our work and do it on time and tell the 
American people that things like investment in infrastructure, building 
roads, repairing bridges, and the kind of things done in this important 
highway bill get done on time. They were supposed to have been done 
last year. It is now getting towards May of this year. It is in 
conference. A very, very important piece of legislation. I hope it is 
brought to the floor of the Senate soon.
  One more point. The tobacco legislation is very important. Some, I 
know, want to stall on that legislation, but we reported it out of the 
Commerce Committee under the leadership of Senator McCain. That piece 
of legislation, I think, because of the short year that we were 
involved with that piece

[[Page S3667]]

of legislation, should be brought to the floor of the Senate as soon as 
possible. The later that it is brought to the floor of the Senate, the 
less likely it is that Congress will get its work done on the tobacco 
bill. I ask the majority leader, bring the tobacco bill to the floor of 
the U.S. Senate, and let's get it done.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Roberts). Under the previous order, the 
hour of 10 a.m. having arrived, the Senator from Indiana, Mr. Coats, is 
recognized to speak for up to 45 minutes.
  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. coats, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Santorum, and Mr. 
Brownback pertaining to the introduction of S. 1994 are located in 
today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint 
Resolutions.'')

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