[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 70 (Friday, May 14, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5364-S5365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ORDER OF PROCEDURE

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, while we were on the motion to 
proceed, taking a cue from earlier speeches--the distinguished Senator 
from Colorado spoke at some length earlier. I would just like to take a 
few minutes.
  Mr. LEAHY. Will the Senator yield to me?
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I will be happy to yield.
  Mr. LEAHY. I just note two things. First is that even though the last 
amendment brought up by the Republican side is vehemently opposed by a 
Member on this side who could not be present, we made no objection to 
that, knowing he would have time to debate later on. Mr. President, we 
did this to try to comply with the request of the majority leader and 
the distinguished Senator from Utah, who said they wanted to move 
forward with this. We did it in good faith. Frankly, for one of the 
very few times in my 25 years in the Senate, I find my faith shaken 
because it is very obvious nobody intended to go forward; they just 
wanted to go right back to Y2K and block anything else.
  If their side wants to bring up something even if our side is not 
here to debate it, that is fine. If our side wants something similar, 
that is not fine. It is like the Democratic amendments being voted down 
over here so a day or so later they can be brought up as Republican 
amendments and voted up over there. And in between we hear complaints 
about this is taking too long.
  I will repeat what I have said before: Every single Democrat wants a 
juvenile justice bill with everything from the prevention of crime to 
education to helping our juveniles. I question whether the same thing 
can be said for the other side of the aisle.
  The Senator from New Jersey had the floor. I yield back to him.
  Several Senators addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. HATCH. He can't yield the floor to another person--or did he have 
the floor? I don't know.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator can only yield for a question.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, let me just answer that and then I will be 
happy to yield to the distinguished Senator from New Jersey.
  Look, the games are over as far as I am concerned. When a Senator 
stands on the floor and says he is protecting Members of his side and 
extends the same courtesy to the other side to protect Members on their 
side, all they have to do is tell us. If the distinguished Senator 
believes somebody on his side has to be protected, all he has to do to 
be protected is tell me and I will honor that. I asked for that same 
courtesy on our side because there are Senators who cannot be here who 
want to be here when Senator Lautenberg brings up his amendment. It is 
a fair request, a fair statement; it is a fair position. I really do 
not think people should try to make political points or political hay 
out of it.

  I might also add, nobody wants this bill more than I do. I have been 
working on it for 2 solid years. I have been working on it every day on 
the floor. I am going to do everything in my power to get it passed. I 
have to admit I have had a lot of cooperation from our distinguished 
ranking minority leader on the Judiciary Committee, for which I am very 
grateful. But there is no reason to play these games here. It is 
unreasonable for anybody to suggest that because somebody is protecting 
his side, because I am protecting my side, there is something untoward 
about that. I would not suggest it if the Senator wanted to protect his 
side.
  Naturally, I am going to yield the floor to my friend from New 
Jersey. I wish I could accommodate him, frankly, because I care for 
him. I know he is sincere on this amendment. But it is not unreasonable 
to ask that Senators, on something they feel very deeply about, since 
everybody left here today other than a few of us, that they be 
protected so they can be here when the amendment is brought up.
  Also, I note the distinguished Senator from Arkansas is on the floor. 
She wants to make a statement that is unrelated to the bill, as I 
understand it, or to either of the bills--the current bill that is on 
the floor or the prior bill we were debating.
  So I yield the floor for the distinguished Senator, and of course, 
hopefully the Senator from Arkansas will then make her statement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Utah for his 
consummate interest in issues that matter, even though at times we 
differ. He did request a courtesy that I would like to have yielded to, 
except for the fact that we have allowed some on that side to be 
protected while not enabling this Senator to be able to obtain the same 
protection. I am bound, at 3:30, for Albania, Macedonia, Hungary, and 
Bulgaria.
  I plan to visit with our people in Aviano, Italy, and Brussels 
headquarters and be back here Monday night. This is not intended to be 
a world endurance record. That is not why I am doing this. I am doing 
it because I have had a deep interest in what takes place there and am 
shocked by the horror of the deeds that the Serbian Government is 
perpetrating on these people.
  I have had a chance to meet some of the refugees at Fort Dix. I was 
there last week with the First Lady to greet the first of the refugees 
who arrived in America. I did serve in World War II--not in this area, 
but I was in Europe during the war. The horrors we are witnessing are 
too much for a civilized world to bear.
  I salute the leadership of the President, the courage and the 
commitment of our troops who are there for long hours each and every 
day working to the best of their ability, which ability is very good.
  There have been mistakes made, and that happens in a wartime 
environment. Mistakes are made because we are trying to make sure our 
casualties are few.
  That is where I am going, and I will not be here then on Monday to 
bring up this amendment. I would have offered the amendment without 
debate.
  The fact of the matter is that everyone is pretty much aware of what 
my amendment is. It helps to further close the loopholes, which I know 
the Senator from Utah wanted to do. I do not think the amendment we 
voted on this morning does it. It does not close the loopholes. That is 
my judgment, and I am prepared to defend that judgment.
  I want to correct it. I want to see all the loopholes closed, and so 
do the vast majority of Americans. Eighty-seven percent, as a matter of 
fact, in a national poll said they want the loopholes at the gun shows 
closed.
  I take a second seat to no one in wanting to get a juvenile justice 
bill in place. I want to see if we can help our young people avoid the 
violence that seems to permeate our society. But the fact of the matter 
is that each of us in this parliamentary structure that we operate 
under is entitled to offer amendments.
  I had hoped I would have been able to, as they say in the vernacular 
here, lay it down, put it at the desk and have it saved for debate at a 
later time. The Senator from Utah tried very hard to be cooperative, as 
he always does with me--we have a good relationship, and I respect that 
enormously--to say: All right, we can have some time. We will arrange 
not a lot of time on Tuesday for a discussion and a vote.
  The inability to offer that amendment is decidedly a disadvantage, 
though it will be offered by one of my colleagues. I had hoped, since I 
authored it in the first place, to send it up. That may be a red flag 
to some over there, but the fact of the matter is that I know the 
Senator from Utah does not disagree with me in principle; in approach 
perhaps, in principle certainly not.

[[Page S5365]]

  I ask once again if it is possible just to send it up. It does need 
unanimous consent. I will not force any objections. I take the liberty 
of asking the distinguished manager whether it is possible just to send 
it up and lay it down.
  Mr. HATCH. We are no longer on that bill. I really cannot do that 
because of the courtesies I must extend to people on both sides. I am 
sorry I cannot accommodate the distinguished Senator from New Jersey. 
We are no longer on that bill. As I understand it, we are on the motion 
to proceed to the Y2K bill.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah is correct.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I see some colleagues who want to speak at 
this time. I ask unanimous consent that Senator Lincoln be recognized 
for 10 minutes and then Senator Voinovich, who will be on the floor 
shortly, be recognized for another 10 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.

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