[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 93 (Tuesday, July 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8087-S8088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, this morning, under a previous order, the 
Senate will debate the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to 
the Daschle amendment, with a vote occurring on the motion at 10 a.m.
  Following that vote, the Senate will continue consideration of the 
very important agriculture appropriations bill, with the hope of 
finishing the bill as soon as possible this evening, or as early as 
possible this week. And I am very proud that my senior colleague from 
Mississippi, Senator Cochran, will be doing his usual very good job in 
handling this important bill. Therefore, Members should expect rollcall 
votes throughout today's session of the Senate, with the first vote at 
10 a.m.
  For the remainder of the week, it is hoped the Senate will complete 
several important appropriations bills--at least agriculture, HUD-VA, 
and legislative. That would be a very positive movement and would give 
us an opportunity to address other important issues.
  Members are reminded that we have the second in the Leader Lecture 
series this evening. I will be honored to introduce our former majority 
leader, Senator Baker. That will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in the old 
Senate Chamber.
  Also, on Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock, there will be a Joint 
Meeting of Congress in the House Chamber to receive an address from the 
President of Romania.
  I urge my colleagues to come to our lecture series session this 
afternoon with Senator Baker. I know it will be interesting and, as 
usual, filled with good wit and good humor, and will be very 
informative about his views of the Senate and where we have been and 
where we are going. The next speaker in the leader series is scheduled 
to be Senator Byrd of West Virginia. I believe it is in September.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I wonder if the leader would yield for a 
question.
  Mr. LOTT. I will be glad to yield, Mr. President.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I was listening to the leader's outline for the 
remainder of the week and the proposals, and I had not heard the 
scheduling of the Patients' Bill of Rights. I know that the leader 
talked with the Democratic leader. I was wondering if he could give us 
any further information about what the scheduling prospects would be 
for that very important piece of legislation, particularly since the 
HUD appropriations has that as an amendment on it. What could the 
leader tell us about the prospects of going to a debate on this 
legislation?
  Mr. LOTT. I have been indicating all year that the Senate was going 
to take this issue up, and beginning June 18 I sent suggested unanimous 
consent agreements to Senator Daschle. He and I talked yesterday. We 
are working together on that issue. We fully expect that probably early 
next week we will turn to this issue. We have not worked out the exact 
time or the exact procedure. But we had a good discussion yesterday, 
and we will continue to have that discussion.
  I would like for us to do it where we have the Patients' Bill of 
Rights as the issue that is pending, with Senator Kennedy's bill as one 
of those, obviously, that would be offered, and the task force bill 
that has been put together by Senator Nickles, and others, and not tie 
up appropriations bills. We have the people's work to do. The 
appropriations bills keep the Government running. They fund our farm 
programs, they fund our veterans programs, they fund our housing 
programs, they fund our parks and Interior, Commerce, State, and 
Justice. The Senator knows the list. So we need to go ahead with those 
appropriations bills, and then we will turn to the Patients' Bill of 
Rights in a reasonable period of time.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may proceed with my 
leader time so that I can make a statement with regard to the committee 
hearings on the investigation with regard to the satellite exports to 
the People's Republic of China.

[[Page S8088]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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