[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 35 (Friday, March 22, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S2318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--S. 565

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am about to propound a unanimous consent 
request on behalf of the Democratic leader. This consent request has 
been cleared on the Republican side as well as the Democratic side. Let 
me read it, if I may.
  I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader, in concurrence with 
the Republican leader, may resume the consideration of S. 565, the 
election reform bill; that debate on the bill be limited to 2 hours 
equally divided in the usual form; that the following be the only 
remaining first-degree amendments in order, and that debate on each 
amendment be limited to 30 minutes equally divided in the usual form 
unless otherwise listed; further, that no second-degree amendment be in 
order prior to a vote in relation to each amendment; further, that 
second-degree amendments must be relevant to the amendment to which it 
is offered and debate be limited to 30 minutes unless otherwise listed; 
further, that any pending amendment not listed be withdrawn; that upon 
disposition of the listed amendments, the bill be read the third time 
and the Senate vote on passage of the bill; and that upon passage, the 
title amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, all without further intervening 
action or debate; further, that no call for the regular order be in 
order with respect to this bill:
  Senator Levin, provisional balloting; Senator Clinton, residual 
ballot benchmark; Senator Rockefeller, overseas voters; Senator Wyden, 
voting by mail and first time voter; Senator Nelson of Florida, DOJ 
request; Senator Nickles, confidentiality voter lists; Senator Roberts, 
provisional balloting notices; Senator Hatch, Internet study; Senator 
Thomas, sense of Senate on rural concerns; Senator Grassley, use of 
Social Security numbers; Senator Smith of New Hampshire, election media 
reporting; and Senator Dodd and Senator McConnell, managers' amendment.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, let me express my very sincere gratitude to 
both leaders, first of all to Senator Daschle and his very fine staff 
who were immensely helpful in pulling this together. I thank the 
Republican leader, Senator Lott, for his wonderful leadership. He has 
been tremendously helpful to us in putting this agreement together. I 
also thank Senator McConnell and Senator Bond and their staffs for 
making it possible. Senator Lott's office worked very closely with 
their offices in bringing us to this point.
  We have had an awful lot of amendments. This bill had already handled 
some 35 or 40 amendments. We then had to lay the bill aside, and there 
was still an outstanding list of 40 or 45 amendments. This is a much 
more abbreviated list, and it will allow us to get to final passage on 
this bill.
  I am very optimistic we will end up with a positive vote in the 
Senate on this very important issue of election reform. It has been a 
little more than a year since the election of 2000. As we have said, 
this bill is forward looking. It is not about what happened in 2000; 
rather, what had been happening for many years in regard to the 
deteriorating condition of our election structure in the country. 
Florida merely highlighted for many Americans what had happened in many 
of the States as well.
  This bill, while not a complete answer, will put us on a very strong 
road to resolving a lot of the outstanding issues that occurred then.
  I am very grateful to the staffs of all those Senators involved--
Senators Schumer and Torricelli. I thank my own staff, Veronica 
Gillespie and Kennie Gill of the Rules Committee, as well as Shawn 
Maher of my office, who have worked very hard. We are not done yet. We 
have work to do on this unanimous consent agreement to deal with the 
remaining amendments and then a conference with the House.

  But this unanimous consent agreement, which took the cooperation of 
all Members of this Chamber, brings us very close to final passage of a 
good bill, my firm hope is, so that resources in the discretionary 
funds of this bill might even be available for the 2002 election, if we 
can get this done sometime over the next several months; that is, the 
final conference report.
  The purpose of this bill, as has been stated by many, is to make it 
harder to defraud the system but, just as importantly, to make it 
easier for people to cast their ballots: the provisional voting 
provisions, statewide voter registration, making sure people who are 
disabled will have access to voting, being able to check your vote, not 
overvoting, as well as the antifraud provisions and the provisions 
dealing with the establishment of a permanent commission on elections.
  All Members in this Chamber have been extremely cooperative on seeing 
to both of those twin goals: easier to vote and harder to defraud the 
system. Without the cooperation of everyone in this Chamber, we would 
not have arrived at this unanimous consent agreement.
  So it is a great compliment to Members from all across the country 
that we have been able to arrive at this unanimous consent agreement, 
the disposition of these amendments, and final passage of the bill that 
will make it possible for us to say we have made it easier to vote in 
America and harder to defraud the system. If that is achieved in the 
final product we produce, we will have responded to the challenge posed 
to us by what occurred not only in the 2000 national election but what 
had been occurring across the country for many years. I express my 
gratitude again to all involved.
  With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. 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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