[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 36 (Monday, April 8, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S2346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ANTITERRORISM INSURANCE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there is tremendous need in this country to 
do something with antiterrorism insurance. A group of people just left 
my office. One man indicated that sitting on his desk is $2.2 billion 
worth of loans that he will not initiate because he cannot obtain 
antiterrorism insurance.
  Why don't we pass antiterrorism legislation first thing in the 
morning or tomorrow afternoon? The reason is simple: some would like to 
turn this into a debate about comprehensive tort reform. There can be a 
case made that perhaps some tort reform is needed. I have always 
believed it should be done on a State-by-State basis, but regardless of 
how I personally feel about tort reform, or anyone else feels about 
tort reform, if this issue is so important, the antiterrorism insurance 
bill should not be turned into a larger debate about comprehensive tort 
reform.
  We should be able to pass an antiterrorism insurance bill today. 
Addressing this very real problem should be something everyone agrees 
with. I think we could pass it without even having a vote. People know 
how important this is. Why do we have to concentrate and try to do 
comprehensive tort reform on legislation that is not tort reform? If 
people want tort reform, let them introduce legislation and go through 
the process. Refer it to the Commerce Committee and the Judiciary 
Committee, but do it in an orderly process and not on something as 
important as antiterrorism legislation.
  I say to all of my friends and to the people who came to my office 
today--most of them I never met before--that what they should do is go 
out to talk to those people who want tort reform legislation and delete 
it. We need immediate attention to this issue.
  I have had the opportunity during the 2 weeks we have been off to 
talk about some of President Bush's policies. On some I agreed with him 
and on some I disagreed with him. One thing I agree with him on is that 
antiterrorism legislation is important. We need to do it quickly. I 
hope he will weigh in with us and get tort reform out of this.
  One other area I agree with him on is foreign policy. We need to do 
something to get the Middle East crisis resolved. I personally think 
this administration should have been involved in this much earlier but 
better late than never. I agree with him that Chairman Arafat has not 
been candid with the President. The President said he has not lived up 
to his word with him. Time and again Chairman Arafat has shown he is 
not to be trusted. President Clinton offered him the best deal in the 
world and he walked away from it. He has repeatedly shown that he is 
willing to say one thing in Arabic and something totally opposite in 
English. I hope that the Palestinians under his leadership would try to 
live up to the commitments that he has made. This is a situation we 
need to have resolved. But I do agree with the President of the United 
States when he said yesterday that Chairman Arafat has not lived up to 
what he told the President he was doing. He has not lived up to the 
trust that the President felt he should have.
  Not seeing much going on on the floor, I hope there will be some 
activity on this energy bill. But it appears to me that there is not 
going to be any. I say to staff and others who are working on this 
legislation that I wish they would work to get a finite list of first-
degree amendments so we can at least complete that today.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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