[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S6490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     AMERICAN HOUSING RESCUE AND FORECLOSURE PREVENTION ACT OF 2008

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the pending business.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A message from the House of Representatives to accompany 
     H.R. 3221, an act to provide needed housing reform, and for 
     other purposes.

  Pending:

       Reid amendment No. 5067 (to the motion to concur in the 
     amendment of the House adding a new title to the amendment of 
     the Senate), to change the enactment date.
       Reid amendment No. 5068 (to amendment No. 5067), of a 
     perfecting nature.

  Mr. REED. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                         Explanations of Votes

  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam President, I missed the final vote on the FISA 
final passage that occurred earlier this afternoon. Had I been present 
for the vote, I would have voted in favor of the bill. This position is 
consistent with all my previous votes on the matter, and with my 
considered judgment that this legislation is critical to protecting our 
country from future terrorist attacks.
  Madam President, I yield the floor, and I note the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I wish to say that we have had a 
very dramatic moment here on the floor of the Senate, and I think there 
wasn't a person in the room or the gallery who wasn't thrilled to see 
Senator Kennedy back and looking so good, to do what he always does, 
and that is have the commitment and go the extra mile to keep that 
commitment.
  I wanted to say, though, that I don't think this was the Senate's 
finest hour. I want us to all remember that in the Senate we have had a 
long tradition of bringing up legislation, having amendments, and then 
voting on legislation. That was not the case in the bill that was 
before us today. There was an attempt to pass a bill that had no 
ability for amendments--not one.
  I voted for the bill. It is not the way I would have written it, but 
I thought the risk was so great that the doctor fix in Medicare might 
actually lapse and the upheaval for our senior citizens and voters 
would be a risk too great to take. But it didn't have to be that way. 
It did not have to be a shutout of Republicans in order to ram 
something through, when 100 percent of us wanted to fix the doctors; 
when 100 percent of us had an agreement on 90 percent of the bill that 
was before us. But there were legitimate differences.
  Although I chose to make sure there would not be a cut in service to 
our seniors and our veterans, I don't think we had to do it that way. 
Any of my colleagues who didn't vote that way were voting conscience, 
and it was a tough vote for them as well. They had no input. Several of 
us who voted ``yes'' believed we could have changed the bill for the 
better, or at least if we had the opportunity for an amendment we would 
have known that we had our say and the majority would have ruled, and 
the result would have been the same.

  I do not think this is the way we want to continue proceeding in the 
Senate, and though it was a great victory for the Democrats, and it was 
certainly something that is going to save a cataclysmic event, I hope 
that going forward we will not allow this kind of tension to be in this 
body because it is not necessary. This is not the House. The House does 
operate that way. I do not want that to happen in the Senate.
  It is my plea to the majority leader that he is the leader of the 
Senate, not just the leader of the Democrats. I hope going forward he 
will give us the opportunity for bipartisan solutions. That is 
something I think all of us would feel better about.
  I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. DOLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. DOLE. I ask consent to speak as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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