[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 129 (Thursday, September 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S10913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 442

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in 
order for the majority leader, after consultation with the Democratic 
leader, to proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 509, S. 442, 
and it be considered under the following limitations:
  The Commerce Committee amendment be agreed to, and the Finance 
Committee substitute then be agreed to, and the substitute then be 
considered as original text for the purpose of further amendment.
  I further ask unanimous consent that the only other amendments in 
order to the bill be the following:
  A managers' amendment; McCain-Wyden, extending length of moratorium; 
Coats, Internet porn, 1 hour equally divided; Nickles, relevant; 
Bennett, relevant; two Warner amendments, relevant; Senator Hutchison, 
relevant; Senator Murkowski, relevant; Bond, relevant; Bumpers, mail 
order; Graham, relevant; Abraham, government paperwork; Enzi, three 
amendments, relevant; Domenici, interest rates; Bumpers, a commission 
amendment; and another Nickles relevant amendment.
  I further ask unanimous consent that relevant second-degree 
amendments be in order to all amendments other than the Coats 
amendment.
  I further ask that there be 2 hours of general debate equally divided 
on the bill.
  I finally ask that following disposition of the above listed 
amendments and the expiration of the time, the bill be read a third 
time and the Senate proceed to a vote on passage of the bill with no 
other intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. FORD. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. McCAIN.  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Friday, 
September 25, the Senate turn to Calendar No. 509, S. 442, the Internet 
tax bill, and immediately following reporting by the clerk, the 
Commerce Committee substitute be agreed to, and immediately following 
that action the Finance Committee substitute be agreed to and 
considered original text for the purpose of further amendments. I 
further ask that during the Senate's consideration of S. 442 or the 
House companion measure, only relevant amendments be in order.
  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, if the acting 
leader would take the first paragraph and use that as his unanimous 
consent request, this side is willing to accept that. The one I cannot 
agree to is: ``I further ask that during the Senate's consideration of 
S. 442 or the House companion measure, only relevant amendments be in 
order.'' I would object to that. But I would accept the upper part if 
the Senator is willing to make that unanimous consent request.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I can't do that, but I appreciate the 
willingness of the Senator from Kentucky. Let me also state that I am 
aware that the leadership on the other side is basically prepared 
tomorrow for us to move forward. I appreciate that. There is great 
understanding that this is a very important piece of legislation. The 
Internet Tax Freedom Act is of the highest priority all over America. I 
believe we will move to it. I believe that we will do it soon. I 
appreciate the interest and the agreement of the Senator from Kentucky 
that we could work out some agreement on this--perhaps not tonight but 
perhaps tomorrow.
  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I will be more than willing to agree to a 
unanimous consent agreement to proceed to the bill without any other 
reservations or any time agreements or agreements to amendments. I 
would be more than willing to do that. But under the circumstances, I 
doubt if that would be acceptable so we will just have to work 
overnight and tomorrow on the legislation and see if we can't come to 
some kind of agreement. And I am hopeful, because we were close 
tonight, and I think if we had waited until morning I would not have 
been placed in a position to object. You do a lot of things around here 
sometimes you don't really like to do, but then I always like to be 
``Senator No.''
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Kentucky, 
especially as we approach the end of this very important legislation 
which bears his name. I do not wish to end up this evening in any kind 
of disagreement with the Senator from Kentucky. It is not worth it.
  Mr. FORD. A red letter day.
  Mr. McCAIN. I do know he is committed to passage of this legislation, 
the Internet Tax Freedom Act. He understands as well as I do, with just 
a few days remaining, that if we didn't have some kind of agreement, 
which I do believe we will agree to, on circumscribing the number of 
amendments to the bill, then it would be very difficult to get it done 
in a short period of time. I am not going to pursue this issue. Again, 
I spent too many hundreds of hours working with the Senator from 
Kentucky for us to end up in some disagreement over an issue such as 
this before completion of the bill that is called the Wendell H. Ford 
legislation, which is very fittingly named after him as the reality is 
that there is no Member of the Senate who has done more to further the 
cause of aviation in America than the Senator from Kentucky.
  So, Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, there will be 
a vote tomorrow morning at approximately 9:50 a.m. on passage of the 
FAA reauthorization bill.

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