[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11910-S11911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ORDER OF PROCEDURE

  Mr. LOTT. So that everybody will relax, I understand when I make some 
remarks and schedule announcements we will go back in a quorum. Nobody 
is disadvantaged. Nothing is going to change.
  I have requested this time for two purposes.
  No. 1, to say that we do have a lot of work we need to do. One of the 
things I am considering doing here momentarily is going to a nomination 
so we will have time to work through and agree on a unanimous consent 
request.
  But the other thing is, I think right now we are seeing the worst of 
the Senate, the worst of the Senate on all sides. We have work to do. 
We have about 48 hours left. We have several bills that people want to 
get done, vocational education, religious persecution--a number of 
other bills that have been worked on all over this Capitol. Many of 
them will be overwhelmingly or unanimously supported. And here we are, 
now, locked in a procedure where neither side will agree to anything. I 
just don't think it is in the best tradition of the Senate. I realize 
the Senate always works at the pleasure of any one Senator, but I think 
we also work because we always seek consensus.
  I am for H.R. 10. I have been for that legislation from the 
beginning. I have given a lot of time to try to move it forward. I know 
there are people who have objections to it. As a matter of fact, some 
of the objections that they have, I agree with. It is not a perfect 
bill. But I think that we need to try to find a way to work through 
this, where we can continue to do business. I will do everything I can 
to make sure that neither side is disadvantaged. I have two of my very 
closest friends and colleagues that have major problems with this bill, 
but I am also very committed to dealing fairly with those who are for 
the bill. I want to try to continue to work to find a way to get it 
done. So I don't think it really serves either side to just shut us 
down here at 6:15, 2 days before we go out, and not allow us to get 
anything else done tonight.
  So, I am going to appeal to both sides to work with me, to try to 
find a way to get this business done that we can do, some nominations 
that are not controversial on either side, and the religious 
persecution bill, and vocational education--and without disadvantages 
to anybody. So I ask Senators on both sides to do that. I appeal to 
them. And I will help try to make this happen.
  But I want to go on the record saying that I think this spectacle 
that we are seeing right now is very unbecoming of the Senate, and 
rather than just steam about it, I thought I would say it publicly. I 
feel better now, Mr. President.
  Momentarily I will move to a nomination or I will ask for a unanimous 
consent agreement that will allow us to complete action on the 
religious persecution bill. But I must say to both sides, I will not 
let either side gridlock the Senate. I will not do it. I will use

[[Page S11911]]

every tool at my disposal and I will also do everything publicly I can 
to make sure people understand who is not being cooperative in this 
effort.
  I observe the absence of a quorum.
  Mr. NICKLES. Will the majority leader withhold that request? One of 
the things we probably should have done a little earlier--I didn't know 
we were going to get stuck in this mess --would the majority leader go 
ahead and propound the unanimous consent request that we go ahead and 
vote tomorrow morning at 9:30 on the Religious Freedom Act, because I 
don't think there is any objection to that. I don't know how long this 
little debate will go, but I want to make sure we get that request 
made.
  Mr. LOTT. I ask unanimous consent that the recorded vote on religious 
persecution occur at 9:30 on Friday morning.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LOTT. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  Mr. LEVIN. Will the majority leader withhold just for a moment?
  Mr. LOTT. I will be glad to.
  Mr. LEVIN. During this quorum call, would anyone be inconvenienced if 
some of us who want to speak as in morning business be allowed to 
speak?
  Mr. LOTT. There is a problem with doing that until we get this 
agreement worked out. We would actually go to H.R. 10, as I understand 
it. I would like for us to use this time, but both sides are still 
apprehensive about it. I asked for this time as majority leader and got 
it but I think, beyond that--we cannot do it
  Mr. LEVIN. Again, reserving the right to object, I obviously won't, 
would the majority leader then, in the UC that you are working on, make 
provision, then, for 30 minutes for morning business for me at the end 
of whatever else is going to be done here?
  Mr. LOTT. I will be glad to do that. And I would like for other 
Senators who might have a need for morning business time to get that 
time. We will block that in before we finish up with the UC.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I will not, 
but will we also at sometime before the chariots suddenly disappear on 
Sunday or Monday or whenever it happens--will we go to some of the 
judges?
  Mr. LOTT. We are working now to go to No. 597, which is a State 
Justice Institute position. And we are working to try to go to the 
nomination of Mr. Paez. There are those who want time to talk about 
that. I hope we could do that tonight and tomorrow. But we will 
continue to try to get agreement on Paez. That is the one we are 
working on right now. We will either get to debate and vote on that 
tonight or, more likely, it looks like now, tomorrow.
  Mr. LEAHY. If I may comment further, Mr. President, I will not delay 
this further. We have about 25 on the calendar itself --judges. I hope 
during the next few hours, or early tomorrow, the majority leader and I 
and a couple of others who are interested in this--Senator Hatch I am 
sure is--and others, that we might have a chance to talk about moving 
some of these other judges.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I observe the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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