[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 164 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S14752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           BANKRUPTCY REFORM

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I appreciate the Senator outlining for us 
what the intent is for the day. I hope that part of what we are going 
to do is to work on completing the bankruptcy bill. I say to my friends 
in the majority that we only have a few amendments remaining. I have 
spoken to Senator Leahy and his staff, and I am ready to offer a 
unanimous-consent request. I will not ask that the Senator accept this, 
recognizing that he must speak with the manager of the bill, Senator 
Grassley. But what I would like to do is ask unanimous consent that the 
following amendments numbered 2517, 2537, 2538, 2539, 2658, 2666, 2667, 
2747, 2748, 2753, 2759, 2761, 2763, and 2670, and any amendment agreed 
upon by the two managers be the only amendments--those I have just read 
and those agreed to by the two managers--in order to S. 625, the bill 
to amend title 11, United States Code, and for other purposes, and that 
following the disposition of all the above-described amendments, the 
bill be immediately advanced to third reading; that the Senate then 
proceed to the House companion bill, H.R. 833; that all after the 
enacting clause be stricken, the text of the Senate bill, as amended, 
be inserted; that the bill be advanced to third reading; that a vote 
occur on passage of the bill without any intervening action, motion or 
debate; that the Senate insist on its amendments, request a conference 
with the House, and the Senate bill be placed back on the calendar.
  Mr. President, that is the unanimous-consent request that I spread 
across the Record of the Senate, recognizing that at this time there 
will not be an objection to it. We will make this unanimous-consent 
request at some later time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. I am not asking, Mr. President, that there be objection. I 
am not asking unanimous consent at this time.
  I say to the majority that we have enumerated 14 amendments. Seven of 
them have tentatively been agreed upon or they will be withdrawn. Only 
seven amendments are now between completing the bankruptcy bill and not 
completing it this year. The only two amendments of the seven that I 
understand are causing any controversy are the ones dealing with gun 
manufacturers and clinic violence.

  On the gun manufacturing amendment, the proponents have agreed to a 
70-minute time agreement, and on the amendment relating to clinic 
violence, the proponent has agreed to 30 minutes. So there is really 
not much left to complete this bill. I hope that during the day there 
can be discussions ongoing to complete this bill. We would be willing 
at any time the majority wants to lock in these amendments; we would be 
willing to come back and I would propound this unanimous consent 
request, or we could have the majority do so, so that this bill could 
be completed in a reasonably short period of time.

                          ____________________