[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 15, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S1436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2005

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the 
Senate completes its business today, the Senate adjourn until 9:30 a.m. 
on Wednesday, February 16. I further ask that following the prayer and 
pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings 
be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and the 
Senate then proceed to a period for morning business for up to 90 
minutes, with the first 30 minutes under the control of the majority 
leader or his designee and the second 30 minutes under the control of 
the Democratic leader or his designee; provided that following morning 
business, the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 384, the Nazi 
War Crimes Working Group Extension Act as provided under the previous 
order.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Democratic leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, if the distinguished majority leader would 
yield, I am disappointed but I understand that we are not going to be 
able to move tomorrow to the genetic nondiscrimination matter. It is my 
understanding that there is a potential blue-slip problem with the 
House. I had hoped we could get that done. That is something that is 
very important to do. We will be happy to cooperate with the majority 
leader in any way we can to move that along. It passed last time with 
90-some-odd votes. I hope we can get that done. Even with a little bump 
in the road, maybe we can still get that done this week.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. FRIST. In response through the Chair, this bill is a critically 
important bill, in my mind, in that we have worked on it for 7 years. 
We have passed it with an overwhelming majority in this body. It does 
good things for people who have a whole range of illnesses. It really 
represents the great advances in science today, advances in research, 
advances that come in large part because of what this body did with the 
human genome project in funding over a period of about 10 years, the 
unraveling of the genetic code which makes us all human, which is still 
mind-boggling. With that, it introduces all sorts of privacy issues and 
a potential for discrimination and this comes back and addresses it 
head on. It is a bill upon which we generally have all agreed.
  We are working with the Finance Committee and with the HELP Committee 
internally as well as with the House. I do not want to be overly 
optimistic, but I think by tomorrow we will work this out and get it to 
the Senate floor.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, if the distinguished leader would yield 
again, I am sure others have felt this way in the past, but it is 
interesting to me that anytime there is anything that the distinguished 
majority leader talks about that deals with medicine, it is almost as 
if there is a light that comes on. It is just so apparent why he was 
such a good physician.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we will move on.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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