[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 87 (Monday, July 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6301-S6302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today the Senate will immediately begin 
consideration of H.R. 4578, the Interior appropriations bill. I see 
that the chairman of the subcommittee is here and ready to proceed. 
Opening statements will be made and amendments are expected to be 
offered during today's session.
  At 3:30 today, however, it will be my intention to turn to the 
executive nomination of Madelyn Creedon to be Deputy Administrator of 
the National Security Administration. This was included in an earlier 
agreement, that we would complete debate and have a vote on this 
nomination prior to Wednesday of this week. I thought it was best we do 
it today. The vote will occur on her confirmation at 5:30 p.m. today.
  During the Senate's consideration of the Interior bill, those 
Senators who have amendments should work with the bill managers in an 
effort to complete action on the bill as soon as possible. I commend 
the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior for the work they have 
done on this legislation. Many areas could have been added that would 
have been controversial and would have made it difficult to complete 
the bill. They were not included. I hope, therefore, that in a 
relatively short period of time we can complete action on this very 
important Interior appropriations bill.
  Members should be on notice that it will be the leadership's intent 
to debate amendments to the DOD authorization bill during the evening 
sessions this week. That was agreed to before we went out for the 
Fourth of July recess. There was a unanimous consent agreement entered 
into that limits Senators to relevant amendments to the Department of 
Defense authorization bill. I believe all amendments had to be filed by 
the close of business that day, which was Friday of the week before 
last. Any amendment votes ordered during the DOD authorization bill 
will be postponed to occur the next morning. We are hoping we can 
proceed under that agreement so that Monday night, Tuesday night, and 
Wednesday night, if necessary, we can go to the Department of Defense 
authorization bill around 6:30 or 7 o'clock each night so we can 
complete action on this very important bill.

  I emphasize again that this Department of Defense authorization bill 
has been pending in one form or another before the Senate for quite 
some time. A number of nongermane amendments were offered and voted on 
that are connected to this bill. They have been dealt with in one way 
or another now. We are ready to complete action on the underlying 
Defense authorization bill itself. It has a lot of very important items 
for the future of our military. Included among those are significant 
improvements in the health care provisions for our military men and 
women and their families and for our retirees and their families. This 
is important legislation. Hopefully, we can complete it under this 
procedure of taking up amendments each night and having votes at the 
beginning of the session the next morning.
  As a remainder, cloture was filed on the motion to proceed to the 
death tax legislation prior to the July recess. Pursuant to rule XXI, 
that cloture vote will occur 1 hour after the Senate convenes tomorrow, 
unless an agreement is reached where we don't have to have a recorded 
vote on the motion to proceed, that we can pass that by voice vote and 
move straight to the bill itself. We haven't worked that out yet. That 
is always a possibility. Otherwise, though, we will have that vote 1 
hour after we come in on Tuesday morning.
  The Senate is expected to return to the reconciliation bill, which 
has a statutory time limitation of 20 hours, the latter part of this 
week. Of course, that is the reconciliation bill for the marriage 
penalty tax relief. Votes will occur each day of the Senate's session, 
with late nights and possibly a late Friday or Saturday session in 
order to complete the reconciliation bill.
  I thank my colleagues for their attention. I emphasize that point 
again. It is our hope to go to the reconciliation bill on the marriage 
penalty tax Thursday, and complete action on that bill before the end 
of the session this

[[Page S6302]]

week. Since we could take up to 20 hours under the reconciliation 
provisions--and of course amendments at the end of that process don't 
count against the 20 hours--we could very easily go into the afternoon 
on Friday, Friday night, or Saturday. I hope Members are aware of that 
and prepare their schedule accordingly.
  Since we only have 3 weeks before we recess for the August period for 
the national conventions, I think it is safe to say we will be having 
votes throughout the day, and we will have votes on Monday and Fridays 
for the 3 weeks we have remaining. We have a lot of work to do. I 
appreciate the support and cooperation of all Senators.
  I hope Members had a good Fourth of July recess period in the 
Nation's Capital or back home with constituents. We are prepared to 
work hard and get a lot of the people's business done.
  I yield the floor.

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