[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 64 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5051-S5052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING MINORITY LEADER

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Democratic whip.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I appreciate the distinguished majority 
leader yielding to me. I know he has some remarks he wishes to make. We 
are going to have a cloture vote sometime tomorrow. There is a 
possibility, as there

[[Page S5052]]

always is, that cloture could be invoked, especially if there is the 
ability for us to vote on unemployment insurance. We have not 
completely vetted that with the caucus.
  One point that weighs favorably at least on this Senator's mind is 
that the distinguished majority leader said on more than one occasion 
that when and if cloture is invoked we would have the opportunity to 
debate germane amendments. We have a handful of germane amendments. No 
one will be trying to use a lot of time, but I think the time on most 
of our germane amendments would be 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes--
not very much time. So we could do those quickly.
  One of the concerns--and certainly the majority leader has never done 
this, and it hasn't been done for a number of years--if it is possible 
even postcloture to cut off people from offering germane amendments. I 
think the majority leader said on Friday that germane amendments would 
be allowed. That is a step in the right direction, not only for 
completing this bill but for future work in the Senate. It would be a 
bad thing if cloture were invoked, people anticipating they could offer 
their germane amendments, and then we go into a 30-hour quorum call. 
That would not set the right tone.
  I appreciate the attitude and the remarks of the Senator regarding 
what would happen if cloture is invoked. I think that weighs heavily in 
favor of some people perhaps voting for cloture on this bill.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.

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