[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 134 (Friday, November 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11519-S11520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DUTY SUSPENSIONS FOR IMPORTED PRODUCTS

  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to ask my colleague about 
the conference report to accompany H.R. 1047, the Miscellaneous Trade 
and

[[Page S11520]]

Technical Corrections Act of 2004, which passed the Senate floor by 
unanimous consent earlier today. This legislation contains a number of 
duty suspensions for imported products. The duty suspensions help make 
American industry competitive by allowing companies to reduce costs on 
needed inputs. An important criterion for duty suspension is that the 
imported product cannot compete with a domestic product.
  I am concerned that duty suspensions were included in the bill for 
eight pigments that may compete directly with pigments produced in my 
State. If so, it could directly affect hundreds of workers in my State. 
The provisions at issue are: Sections 1439, 1440, 1441, 1452, 1453, 
1454, 1455, and 1456.
  I understand that the Department of Commerce has been contacted about 
these provisions and is willing to review them to determine whether 
they are appropriate for inclusion in this bill. Will the Senator work 
with me to ensure that the Department of Commerce completes its 
analysis?
  Mr. GRASSLEY. I appreciate the Senator raising this issue with me. I 
am happy to work with the Senator from Kentucky and the Commerce 
Department to ensure that an appropriate and timely analysis is 
completed. I recognize that the duty suspensions in question take 
effect on January 1, 2005. If the results of this analysis demonstrate 
that the inclusion of these provisions in H.R. 1047 was inappropriate, 
I will gladly work with him to try and rectify the situation at the 
earliest possible date.
  Mr. BUNNING. I thank my colleague and I pledge to work closely with 
you to resolve this matter.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Who yields time? The Senator from 
Montana.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of my time and 
ask unanimous consent that all time be yielded back.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                             Cloture Motion

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, pursuant 
to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture 
motion, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 
     do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the conference 
     report to accompany H.R. 1047, a bill to amend the harmonized 
     tariff schedule of the United States to modify temporarily 
     certain rates of duty, to make other technical amendments to 
     the trade laws, and for other purposes.
         Bill Frist, Chuck Grassley, George Allen, Craig Thomas, 
           Jon Kyl, Mike Crapo, Robert F. Bennett, John Ensign, 
           Pete Domenici, Lamar Alexander, John E. Sununu, Richard 
           G. Lugar, George Voinovich, Peter Fitzgerald, Trent 
           Lott, Lindsey Graham, Jim Talent.

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. By unanimous consent, the mandatory 
quorum call has been waived.
  The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the 
conference report to accompany H.R. 1047, a bill to amend the 
harmonized tariff schedule of the United States to modify temporarily 
certain rates of duty, to make other technical amendments to the trade 
laws, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close?
  The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call 
the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. The following Senators were necessarily absent. The 
Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Enzi), the Senator from Texas (Mrs. 
Hutchison), and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Lugar).
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from New York (Mrs. Clinton), 
the Senator from Florida (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. 
Jeffords), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Leahy) are necessarily 
absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Chafee). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 88, nays 5, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 214 Leg.]

                                YEAS--88

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burns
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Chafee
     Chambliss
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Cornyn
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ensign
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham (SC)
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hollings
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     McCain
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Sununu
     Talent
     Thomas
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wyden

                                NAYS--5

     Byrd
     Coleman
     Dayton
     Feingold
     Kohl

                             NOT VOTING--7

     Clinton
     Enzi
     Graham (FL)
     Hutchison
     Jeffords
     Leahy
     Lugar
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote the ayes are 88, the nays are 5. 
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the 
affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for Resolution 
No. 474 to be brought up for its immediate consideration, and I will 
allocate time.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator from Louisiana yield?
  Ms. LANDRIEU. I am happy to cooperate. I thought we had worked this 
out. Perhaps we have not. I understand we are calling up a resolution 
for its immediate consideration and I will stay in the business that we 
are in.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I will suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? The clerk will call the 
roll.
  Mr. CRAIG. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Idaho.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I will not object to a quorum call if it is 
only temporary, and I mean very temporary, so we can work out our 
differences. This is a very important resolution that deserves to come 
before the Senate. Tomorrow is National Adoption Day and the Senator 
from Louisiana and I find this an important priority for all Senators. 
With that, I will not object, understanding that Senator Feingold 
offers this only temporarily.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________