[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 28 (Monday, March 8, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S2255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today the Senate will begin debate on the 
first concurrent budget resolution for fiscal year 2005. Chairman 
Nickles and Senator Conrad are prepared to begin the debate under the 
statutory 50-hour time limitation. Given the nature of the budget 
resolution and the lengthy debate, on Friday I announced that no 
rollcall votes would occur today. This afternoon Senators will come to 
the floor to speak in relation to the budget or the two managers may 
have amendments to consider over the course of the day. However, any 
votes ordered today will be delayed until tomorrow.
  As we begin the week, I do want to put all of our Members on notice 
that this week will include lengthy sessions each day and into the 
evening. We have the 50-hour time limit. There will be references made 
to that time limit during the course of this afternoon and, indeed, 
every day. It is my hope we will be able to yield back some of the 50-
hour time limit. I will be talking to the two managers to see if that 
will be possible.
  In any event, the debate will be lengthy; it will be throughout the 
day and likely, as I mentioned, go into the evening.
  We have a recess next week. We will finish this bill this week. I 
have already heard about a number of scheduling conflicts over the 
course of the week, into Saturday and Friday, and I will do everything 
possible to accommodate the request, but I need to make it absolutely 
clear, as I did last week, that we are going to finish the budget 
resolution this week. Therefore, I ask for all Members to adjust their 
schedules accordingly, especially on Friday.
  I do want to comment on the process, the so-called vote-arama, that 
we come to at this point each and every year. As Members are aware, 
even after the 50 hours expire, Senators can offer amendments with no 
debate and they can demand votes, but I think if we look back at past 
experience almost all Senators will agree that this vote-arama, which 
in more recent times has come to characterize what follows the 50 
hours, is absolutely not the best process for consideration of their 
amendments.
  Thus, I encourage, in fact plead, with Members to approach the two 
managers of the resolution and see if they can limit the excessive 
number of votes needed at the end of the process.
  I thank Senators Nickles and Conrad for their hard work in getting 
this budget resolution ready for floor action.

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