[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 163 (Wednesday, November 17, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14666-S14667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                BANKRUPTCY REFORM ACT OF 1999--Continued

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I should note just on the bankruptcy bill, 
we are making more progress. This morning we were able to clear four 
more amendments. I understand there is a total of 31 amendments that 
been accepted to improve the Bankruptcy Reform Act. These are 
amendments that have been offered on both sides of the aisle.
  I commend the distinguished deputy Democratic leader, the Senator 
from Nevada, Mr. Reid, for his help. He has

[[Page S14667]]

been, as I described him in the caucus, indefatigable in his efforts to 
move this through. He and I and the Senator from New Jersey, Mr. 
Torricelli, and the Senator from Iowa, Mr. Grassley, and the Senator 
from Utah, Mr. Hatch, have all worked to clear amendments or to set 
rollcalls on those we cannot clear.
  I have urged Members to have short time agreements, and they have 
agreed to that. I think we have gone from some 300 or more potential 
amendments down to only a dozen or so, if that, that are remaining.
  When you are dealing with a piece of legislation as complex as this, 
as important as this, when we are only 2 to 3 weeks before the end of 
this session--when we are only 2 to 3 weeks before the end of this 
session--I was hoping somebody would jump up and disagree on that ``2 
to 3 weeks'' bit--or possibly a few days before the end of this 
session, it shows how well we have done.
  But as I said earlier, before he came on the floor, I commend the 
Senator from Nevada, who has worked so hard to bring down those numbers 
on the amendments.

  Frankly, I would like to see us wrap this up. I would like to go to 
Vermont.
  Mr. REID. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. LEAHY. Yes, of course.
  Mr. REID. I just talked to someone coming out of the conference. They 
said: What about this bankruptcy bill? I said: It is up to the majority 
whether or not we have a bankruptcy bill this year. We have worked very 
hard these past few days on these amendments. We need time on the floor 
to begin to offer some of these amendments.
  As the Senator knows, we have maybe 8 or 9 amendments total out of 
320, and we could have a bill. And the contentious amendments--on one 
that is causing us not to move forward, the Senator from New York, Mr. 
Schumer, has agreed to a half hour. That is all he wants. I just cannot 
imagine, if this bill is as important as I think it is and, as I have 
heard, the majority believes it is, why we cannot get a bill.
  Does the Senator from Vermont understand why we are not moving 
forward?
  Mr. LEAHY. I am at a loss to understand why we cannot.
  I say to my friend from Nevada, yesterday morning--and I normally 
speak at about an octave higher than this; I am coming out of a bout of 
bronchitis--I came back to be here at 10 o'clock because we were going 
to be on the bill. Instead, we had morning business, I believe, until 
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. That is 6 hours. That is what it 
would have taken to finish the bill, especially after the work of the 
Senator from Nevada, and others, in clearing out so many of the 
Republican and Democratic amendments to get them accepted or voted on.
  I understand we are waiting for the other body to get the 
appropriations bill over here. I would think between now and normal 
suppertime today we could finish this bill, if people want to. We are 
willing to move on our side. We are willing to have our amendments come 
up.
  I see the distinguished Senator from California on the floor. She has 
waited some time. She has been here several days waiting with an 
amendment. She has indicated she is willing to go ahead with a 
relatively short period of time. The Senator from New York, Mr. 
Schumer, has said the same. We are ready to go, and I wish we would.
  As I stated earlier, I would have liked very much to get this done. I 
would actually like very much to finish all the items we have. I wish 
we could have finished a couple weeks ago. I want to go to Vermont. I 
want to be with my family. It was snowing there yesterday, as I am sure 
it was in parts of the State of the distinguished Presiding Officer. I 
see the distinguished Senator from Maine on the floor. I expect it did 
in her State.
  Mr. REID. It was 81 degrees in Las Vegas yesterday.
  Mr. LEAHY. Eighty-one degrees in Las Vegas. How about snow in the 
mountains?
  Mr. REID. Oh, there was snow in the mountains.
  Mr. LEAHY. The Senator from Nevada has the good fortune as I do: We 
both represent two magnificent and beautiful States. He has the 
ability, however, in his State to go far greater ranges in climate, in 
temperature, over a distance of 100 miles or so than just about 
anywhere else in the country. We sometimes do those ranges in 
temperature and climate in one afternoon in Vermont, but we are not 
always happy about it.

  I would like to see us get moving and get out of here. I see the 
distinguished Senator from California, who has asked me to yield to 
her. I am prepared to do that, but I also note that we will not start 
on any matter until the distinguished floor leader on the other side is 
on the floor. So I am at a bit of a quandary. I wanted to yield to the 
distinguished Senator from California with her amendment, but the 
distinguished floor leader on the Republican side is not here.
  So I ask that the Senator from California withhold a bit. I see the 
Senator from--I may be a traffic cop here. I see my good friend and 
neighbor from New England, the Senator from Maine.
  I ask, could she indicate to me just about how much time she may 
need?
  Ms. COLLINS. It was my understanding that there was an agreement that 
at 2:15--and we are a little late in getting here--Senator Schumer and 
I were going to be able to introduce a bill as in morning business. We 
would need approximately 15 minutes, I would guess.
  Mr. LEAHY. Then I ask, Mr. President, unanimous consent that after 
the distinguished Senator from Maine and the distinguished Senator from 
New York have been heard, it would then be in order to go to the 
distinguished Senator from California, Mrs. Feinstein, so she could go 
forward with her amendment.
  Ms. COLLINS. Reserving the right to object, I believe that--Mr. 
President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senator from 
Maine and the Senator from New York be recognized, and then the Senator 
from Wisconsin, Mr. Kohl, and the Senator from North Carolina, Mr. 
Edwards, be recognized for 5 minutes each after the Senator from Maine 
and the Senator from New York, and then the floor go to the Senator 
from California--now that I see the Senator from Iowa on the floor--so 
she could then go back to the bankruptcy bill.
  Mr. REID. Reserving the right to object, it would be 25 minutes: 15 
minutes and 5 for each of the two Senators as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Maine.
  (The remarks of Ms. Collins and Mr. Schumer pertaining to the 
introduction of the legislation are printed in today's Record under 
``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

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