[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 72 (Wednesday, June 5, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4992-S4993]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            SENATE BUSINESS

  Mr. REID. Madam President, we spent most all of yesterday doing 
nothing. Senator Daschle came on the floor late in the day and filed a 
petition for cloture because he recognized they were going to slow-walk 
this legislation on the supplemental appropriations bill, and then 
referred specifically to what one of the Republican Senators said 
yesterday, that they were going to slow down the train.
  Today's publication of the Congressional Quarterly Monitor suggests 
they are doing what the majority leader said: Senate Republicans say 
they will not hesitate to slow-walk legislation important to Democrats, 
while aggressively pushing their own agenda.
  The problem is, at this stage I don't know what ``their'' agenda is. 
We have tried to move forward on legislation that is important to their 
President; namely, this legislation dealing with the supplemental. The 
supplemental appropriations bill is very important, as we discussed on 
a number of occasions yesterday. This legislation is entitled: 
``Supplemental Appropriation Act for Further Recovery From and Response 
to Terrorist Acts in the United States.'' If that is not important, I 
don't know what is. They are slow-walking that. They are slowing down 
the train.
  We read further in the article that a GOP leadership aide said the 
amendments to this hate crimes bill and this legislation now before us, 
that Senator Daschle has not seen fit to bring up, include defense 
authorization, a terrorism insurance proposal, and cloning.
  Madam President, as we all know, there was an arrangement to bring up 
cloning. The majority leader agreed to do that. Of course, Republicans 
would not let us because they were slow-walking the legislation we had 
before the break.
  I spoke to the Senator from Kansas yesterday about cloning. Senator 
Brownback feels very strongly about it. He has indicated he would show 
us his proposal. That is something we want to do. We have offered a 
number of unanimous consent requests that we can move forward on, 
terrorism insurance. We, the majority, have tried every way possible to 
bring terrorism insurance before this body. The people who say they 
want it cannot take yes for an answer. The Republicans simply do not 
want this brought up. Some do not believe there is a need for it.
  Anyplace in New York, go to people in Illinois, or people in Nevada, 
all over this country, business communities certainly believe there is 
a need for terrorism insurance. We want to do that.

  I am very disappointed we are now in a predicament that we cannot 
move forward on the supplemental appropriations bill the President 
believes is important; we can't move forward on prescription drug 
benefits, which he says is important, although looking at the proposals 
we have had from the White House, they are a prescription drug benefit 
in name only. There doesn't seem to be much interest in that.
  The things we need to do are very important to the people of this 
country. It is something as simple sounding as minimum wage. But for 
years we have not been able to increase the minimum wage for the people 
who need it. This is important, not to young people who are flipping 
hamburgers at McDonald's but to people raising families. Madam 
President, 60 percent of those drawing the minimum wage are women, and 
for 40 percent, that is the only money they get for themselves and 
their families. We need to do this.
  Instead of going to these issues, we are having everything slow-
walked. I do not understand the reason for that. It seems to me for the 
good of the country we should move forward.
  This is a closely divided Senate. There is plenty of blame to go 
around if things do not go forward, if we do not make progress. But 
there is lots of credit to go around if we are able to accomplish 
things. I hope my friends will decide to move forward with legislation, 
allow us to legislate rather than hesitate, which we have been doing 
for the last several weeks.
  The legislation before us is so important. We have talked about it on 
a number of occasions, how important it is for the troops we have in 
the field. It is important for creating homeland security--something as 
simple as $200 million for security for nuclear facilities. The 
Presiding Officer and Senator Lieberman and I have thought it important 
to do something to beef up security at our nuclear reactor sites. We 
need to do that because we have rules now at one site for a certain 
degree of security but at another site there is another degree of 
security. Even having been given 6 months' notice that there would be a 
surprise exercise to show how ready they were for an attack, even given 
6 months for this so-called surprise, over 50 percent of the reactor 
sites failed in this security issue.
  There will be a hearing before the Environment and Public Works 
Committee beginning in a half hour to deal with security of nuclear 
reactor sites.
  There are things that need to be done to protect our homeland. I hope 
we can get to that. I hope the effort to slow-walk, slow down the 
train, stops immediately.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BOND. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.

[[Page S4993]]

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. BOND. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Bond pertaining to the introduction of S. 2579 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. BOND. Madam President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the 
absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, as I understand, we have time now until 
10:15; is that correct?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, I yield myself such time as I may use.

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