[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 132 (Thursday, October 4, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10257-S10258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Madam President, this morning the Senate will resume 
consideration of the motion to proceed on the aviation security bill. 
There is every hope that sometime today we can begin consideration of 
that bill.
  As I mentioned yesterday, there has been significant progress made on 
a number of different issues, not the least of which is the tremendous 
work done by the Judiciary Committee. Senator Hatch, working under the 
chairmanship of Senator Leahy until about 3 this morning, I understand, 
completed their overall work in reaching an agreement on the 
antiterrorism legislation. It is very important that has been 
accomplished. It has taken tremendous time of that committee. They have 
worked literally night and day.
  My former press secretary's husband works on that committee. I had 
the good fortune of being able to go to a long-scheduled dinner with 
him last Saturday. He had to change clothes in the car. He had been 
working all night Friday and Saturday. The staffs work very hard.
  In spite of that and all the work they have done, the Judiciary 
Committee today is going to meet and report out an appeals judge from 
the State of New York, a district court judge from Mississippi, up to 
15 U.S. attorneys, one Assistant Attorney General, and the Director of 
the U.S. Marshal's Service. They are going to have a hearing today 
dealing with a circuit court judge from Louisiana, two judges from 
Oklahoma, a district court judge from Kentucky, a district court judge 
from Nebraska. I am very happy to say that a professor from the 
University of Nevada-Las Vegas Law School is going to be, I hope, 
reported out of that committee soon. There will be a hearing on him 
today, Jay Bybee, to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of 
Legal Counsel.

  Next week they have already scheduled a long awaited hearing on John

[[Page S10258]]

Walters to be the Director of the Office of National Drug Policy 
Control. They are going to have a hearing on October 16 on Tom 
Sansometti, and then on October 18 they are going to have a hearing on 
another circuit judge and 5 district court judges.
  I say this because the Judiciary Committee is overwhelmed with work, 
and in spite of that we are moving at a very rapid pace. When Senator 
Leahy became chairman of the Judiciary Committee, there had not been 
any judges reported out. That had been 6 months this year. We have done 
this much work already this year, which I think is significant.
  During the first year of President Clinton's Presidency, it is my 
recollection--I do not have that before me--we had three circuit court 
judges during that entire year. We are going to surpass that this year 
quite easily.
  This morning at 8, Senator Byrd called a meeting. Of course with him 
was the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee. He met with the 
13 subcommittee chairs and the ranking members to talk about how we 
would move forward on appropriations bills. We now have the numbers, 
and we are going to move forward as rapidly as possible.
  We still have five bills that have not received Senate action. Seven 
of them have received Senate action and we are waiting to complete a 
conference with the House. Under Senate rules, the only way we can move 
to other matters is by unanimous consent.
  I have been in consultation with the majority leader, and as a result 
of the work done by the Judiciary Committee in arriving at final 
numbers, it is now appropriate we do things today other than be in 
morning business. We have work in the Senate that needs to be done and 
that can be done, in spite of the fact there is a motion to proceed on 
this aviation security bill, which is so important.

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