[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 71 (Monday, May 17, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5393-S5394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. LOTT. Today, the Senate will be in a period of morning business 
until 1 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes 
each. It is expected the Senate will resume debate on the juvenile 
justice bill this afternoon. Senators who have amendments on the list 
with respect to the juvenile justice bill should be prepared to offer 
their amendments today. I understand at least three Senators are 
prepared to offer one or more amendments, so that will take up, I am 
sure, a considerable amount of time. I understand that Senator Santorum 
and Senator Wellstone and Senator McConnell have amendments they will 
be prepared to offer this afternoon. No rollcall votes will occur 
during today's session.
  Also, today it is the intention of the leadership to debate the Y2K 
legislation for an hour or so at the end of the day, which would then, 
of course, take us over into tomorrow, when, under a previous unanimous 
consent agreement, there will be a cloture vote on a motion to proceed 
to Y2K at 9:45 a.m.
  For the remainder of the week, the Senate will, hopefully, complete 
action on the juvenile justice bill and the Y2K legislation. Also, the 
Senate will turn to the supplemental appropriations conference report. 
I understand that may not be available until late tomorrow afternoon or 
perhaps even Wednesday. Exactly when that will be brought up will 
depend, in part at least, on the disposition of these other two bills. 
Senators should expect rollcall votes throughout each day and into the 
evening, if necessary, although I would not anticipate a late night on 
Tuesday, but we could have to go into late nights Wednesday and 
Thursday.
  On Friday, we will not have any legislative business even though we 
may have a pro forma session. There is a Democratic retreat similar to 
the one the Republicans had last month, and that is scheduled for 
Friday. So we will not have any recorded votes so that they can attend 
this meeting.

  Mr. President, I want to again ask for cooperation by Senators in 
offering amendments and also trying to complete action on these two 
very important bills. The Y2K liability issue is one of growing 
concern. If you read the newspapers Friday and Saturday, you learned 
that there is a growing problem with small businesses trying to become 
Y2K compliant. There is a great deal of consternation about the 
liability exposure, and this bill provides a way for these problems to 
be addressed without leading to a myriad of lawsuits. I have even seen 
one statement that the Y2K litigation costs could exceed the cost of 
asbestos, breast implants, and tobacco litigation. That is massive. I 
do not know whether that is accurate or not, but it is a problem with 
which we need to try to deal.
  Also, on juvenile justice, this underlying bill has been in the 
making for 2 years. We have had amendments, and we will have other 
amendments offered with regard to violence in the schools, how you deal 
with that, with the impact of certain laws that we already have on the 
books as to schools and, of course, gun amendments. I hope we can come 
to a reasonable agreement of how we can complete both of these bills 
this week and then go to the supplemental appropriations bill and be 
prepared late this week or early next week to turn to the defense 
authorization bill. At a time when we have our men and women engaged in 
combat, we need to go ahead and move this very important piece of 
legislation.
  So those, along with the DOD appropriations bill, I hope to have 
completed by a week from Thursday night before the Memorial Day recess.
  With that, I yield the floor, Mr. President, and I observe the 
absence of a quorum.

[[Page S5394]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Roberts). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Acting in my capacity as a Senator from 
Kansas, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be 
rescinded.
  Without objection, it is so ordered.

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