[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 27, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           NEGOTIATIONS ON THE ISSUE OF VOTER IDENTIFICATION

  Mr. DODD. Madam President, I just want to give the Presiding Officer 
a little bit of an update on where things are regarding negotiations on 
the Schumer-Wyden-Bond issue involving the question of voter 
identification.
  Staffs are meeting. There has been no resolution, I am sad to report, 
at this juncture, but they are meeting and are working on this.
  I thank Senator Schumer and Senator Wyden and their staffs, along 
with Senator Bond and his staff, to see if they can come forward with a 
compromise proposal. As I mentioned two or three times already today, I 
hoped that would have happened before we got to the vote today. I made 
a pitch and appeal on numerous occasions, but there was not much of an 
appetite for a compromise until now.
  My hope is we can come to this sooner rather than later. I apologize 
to my colleagues. I apologize to Senator Daschle, who has been 
absolutely stellar in all of this. I am sure he is going to remind me 
for years to come, when he asked me how long this bill might take, I 
said I thought we could do it in a day. I suspect I will hear that 
story over and over again for many years to come.
  We have been on it 2 days. We were on it for 2 days when we were not 
in session, a Friday and a Monday. We did get some work done then. On 
the Thursday of the week before recess, we were here, and yesterday, 
now today, so at least 2\1/2\ days.
  My hope is that by later this afternoon, sooner rather than later, we 
can report a compromise proposal, then the rest of the amendments we 
can deal with fairly quickly. There will be votes on some. I don't 
anticipate that any one of them, regardless of the outcome, would 
provoke the kind of situation we are in at this particular juncture.
  Hope springs eternal, even in February. I am hopeful that before the 
afternoon is out, we can make a favorable report to the Chair and to 
our colleagues that the election reform bill is prepared to move 
forward and get to final passage.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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