[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 23, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1-S2]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           STARTING THE SECOND SESSION OF THE 107TH CONGRESS

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the start of a new session of Congress is 
always a hopeful time, and this session is no exception. These are days 
of great and important challenges for our Nation and for our world, 
which means we have the opportunity to do great and important work. It 
is an honor to be part of this Congress and to be able to work with so 
many fine men and women, Republicans and Democrats. I am going to have 
more to say this afternoon about the legislative agenda for the year. 
For now, let me welcome back my colleagues to this second session of 
Congress. Let me welcome our staffs and all of those who are associated 
with making this Senate work as it does each and every day.
  This is only the second time I have had the privilege of opening a 
session of Congress. The first time was a year ago during my first 17-
day term as majority leader. In my remarks that day, I mentioned the 
Brumidi corridor, the incredible frescoes that line the walls on the 
first floor of this building. They were painted more than 125 years ago 
by an Italian immigrant named Constantino Brumidi. Some people refer to 
him as ``America's Michelangelo''--with good reason. He spent 25 years 
of his life painting the walls and the great dome of this Capitol. It 
was a labor of love for his adopted country. Over the years, Brumidi's 
magnificent paintings were covered over by layers of paint and varnish. 
For the last several years, art conservators have been painstakingly 
scraping away those layers to reveal the original works of art 
underneath.
  I have often thought of that process as a good metaphor for the 
Senate. Over the years, a layer of partisanship has sometimes settled 
over the Senate. Even with that disadvantage, it has remained the 
greatest legislative body in the history of the world and one in which 
I am very proud to serve. But it is when we are able to transcend the 
layers of partisanship, as we did last year in response to the attacks 
on our Nation, that the real beauty and genius of this institution are 
revealed.

  Very often, as I leave work at the end of the day, I walk down the 
Brumidi corridors on my way out the door. I take a quick look to see 
the progress the conservators have made. I remember one evening 
particularly well. It was late October. For much of the time since 
September 11, and since the anthrax letter was opened in my office, 
work on the corridors had stopped. But that evening, the conservators 
were back at work making progress. Their work, it seemed to me, was an 
act of faith that 125 years from now, and long after that, this 
building will still be standing; people will still come from all over 
America and all over the world to see the miracle of democracy in 
action.
  Mo Udall wrote a book called ``Too Funny to be President'' about his 
years in the Congress. He dedicated it to the 3,000 Members of 
Congress, living and dead, with whom he served for nearly three 
decades. As we begin this new session of Congress, let us remember that 
we are part of a continuum of all who have come before us and all who 
will come after us, and let us pledge to work in a way that will honor 
them all.
  With that, I wish my colleagues well. I welcome them back. I yield 
the floor.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll to ascertain 
the presence of a quorum.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll, and the 
following Senators entered the Chamber and answered to their names:

[[Page S2]]

                             [Quorum No. 1]

     Byrd
     Campbell
     Daschle
     Feinstein
     Inouye
     McCain
     Reid
     Thomas
     Thurmond
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. A quorum is not present. The clerk will 
repeat the names of the absentee Senators.
  The majority leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I move to instruct the Sergeant at Arms 
to request the presence of absent Senators. I ask for the yeas and 
nays.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second. The yeas and nays are 
ordered.
  The question is on agreeing to the motion. The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the 
Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Lieberman), and the Senator from Georgia 
(Mr. Miller) are necessarily absent.
  Mr. NICKLES. I announce that the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Murkowski), 
the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Sessions), and the Senator from Alabama 
(Mr. Shelby) are necessarily absent.
  The result was announced--yeas 88, nays 6, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 1 Leg.]

                                YEAS--88

     Allard
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Boxer
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carnahan
     Carper
     Chafee
     Cleland
     Clinton
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     Dayton
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham
     Gramm
     Grassley
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Helms
     Hollings
     Hutchinson
     Hutchison
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Smith (NH)
     Smith (OR)
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Torricelli
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                                NAYS--6

     Allen
     Bond
     Breaux
     Gregg
     Inhofe
     McCain

                             NOT VOTING--6

     Akaka
     Lieberman
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Sessions
     Shelby
  The motion was agreed to.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. A quorum is present.

                          ____________________