[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 23, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5495-S5496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 RECESS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now stand in recess until 1:30.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, may I inquire of the distinguished floor 
leaders, the Collins-Warner amendment has been pending. We have been 
very deferential to the leadership. Can we get an idea of when that 
might be disposed?
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Let me be perfectly candid with the Senator from 
Virginia. If the Senator from Virginia and the Senator from Maine still 
want a rollcall on their amendment, we will do that at 1:30.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I have worked 
hard over here today with people wanting to offer amendments. Some have 
been on file since last week. I hope this doesn't start another string 
of amendments.
  Mr. WARNER. I am not hearing the soft, wonderful voice of my great 
friend. Can he raise it a bit?
  Mr. REID. We have about 40 amendments over here that have been filed. 
Through various means, the amendments are not going to be brought up. I 
hope the managers can work something out as to the amendment of the 
Senator from Virginia without another rollcall vote. I am afraid this 
may start a series of rollcall votes.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, might I say to the distinguished 
Democratic leader and the managers of the bill that there has been an 
ongoing negotiation with regard to this amendment, and my distinguished 
colleague from Maine and I have been very forthcoming with our 
managers. Our bill was up and we got the yeas and nays when this matter 
first hit the floor. We have acceded to their requests day after day to 
delay it. We think the time has come now.
  I assure the Senator we were in the front of the queue. Amendment 
after amendment has been filed at the desk subsequent to ours. We were 
here day 1, hour 1. We have cooperated with our distinguished managers 
to this point. I hope our distinguished Democratic whip will allow us 
to bring up this amendment.
  Mr. REID. Senator Baucus and I will work to see that we have no more 
rollcall votes. If you have to have this one, I guess you do. But I 
hope we don't have to have another one also. We will do our best to see 
that there will not be any more.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, if the Senator will yield, I point out to 
the Senator that the yeas and nays were ordered on the Collins-Warner 
amendment last Thursday night when it was first debated for a half hour 
on the Senate floor. This isn't a new amendment or a new request. The 
yeas and nays were, in fact, ordered last week. I wanted to clarify 
that for the record.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I advise our distinguished Democratic 
leader that Senators Mikulski, Dodd, and Harkin have worked with us 
right along, so it is a bipartisan effort. I am sure if they were 
present, they would join us in this request.
  Mr. REID. That is my point. It sounds as if you have a good 
bipartisan amendment. I can't understand why we need a rollcall vote.
  Mr. WARNER. I say to my good friend, I guess I reached down in the 23 
years of experience in managing many bills and being in many 
conferences. There is a certain feeling about this legislation. It is 
for teachers. It is simple----

[[Page S5496]]

  Mr. REID. If the Senator will withhold, if the managers will agree, 
we will work to see what needs to be done.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. I believe Senator Baucus would agree with me. I have 
been asked now if we can do it this way. We will recess until 1:30, but 
we would vote on the amendment by the Senator from Virginia and the 
Senator from Maine just prior to final passage. So we would have this 
rollcall vote and then final passage.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair asks the Senator from Iowa, is he 
making that part of his unanimous consent request?
  Mr. WARNER. I so request, Mr. President.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I make that as part of my unanimous 
consent request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. Reserving the right to object, will the Senator from Iowa 
allow the recess to end at 1:40?
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I change my unanimous consent request 
that the Senate stand in recess now until the hour of 1:40.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:38 p.m., recessed until 1:40 p.m. and 
reassembled when called to order by the Presiding Officer (Ms. 
Stabenow).

                          ____________________