[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 83 (Thursday, June 4, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6135-S6136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Madam President, after leader remarks, we are going to be 
in a period of morning business for up to an hour. During that period 
of time, Senators will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each. 
The Republicans will control the first half, and the majority will 
control the second half.
  Following morning business, we will proceed to the tobacco 
legislation, H.R. 1256. Two amendments are currently pending to the 
Dodd substitute amendment; that is, the Burr-Hagan substitute and a 
Lieberman amendment regarding TSP. Senator Hagan will be here as soon 
as we complete morning business to offer some amendments. The 
Republican leader and I thought it would be appropriate that Senators 
who have amendments relating to the bill that are relevant and germane 
would offer their amendments first, and those Senators are Hagan and 
Burr. So we want them to get whatever amendments they want to offer 
laid down so that we can go to other matters people wish to bring up.
  I announce that I have had, frankly, a number of conversations with 
Senators on both sides, and there are a number of important events 
today--this evening, I should say--so we are not going to be working 
late tonight. I think if we go to 6 o'clock, that will probably be 
about as far as we go. There is a funeral service for one of the 
employees of the Senate who has worked in the Capitol for many years 
who was killed in a car accident on Sunday. We have to make sure the 
people who want to go to that have that opportunity. There are a number 
of other events, including something at the Vice President's residence 
this evening. So everyone should be alerted to that.
  I had a conversation with the Republican leader yesterday about the 
schedule for the next work period. We have 3 weeks left in this work 
period, and we have things we want to do. I have explained to the 
Republican leader that we would like to do at least two appropriations 
bills. I have indicated that to Chairman Inouye, and he has conveyed 
that to Ranking Member Cochran. We want to at least get the legislative 
branch legislation out of the way and Homeland Security out of the way.
  There are other things, of course, we are going to work on during 
this work period. We have the supplemental appropriations bill that we 
need to complete within the next couple of days. We have this tobacco 
legislation which we need to complete. There is a tourism bill which 
was completed and reported out of the Commerce Committee which is 
bipartisan and important. It is interesting. In every State in the 
Union, tourism is important. It is either the No. 1, 2, or 3 most 
important part of the State's economy. We are going to try to complete 
that this work period. So we have a lot of things to do.
  The next work period, in July, where we have 5 weeks, we will have by 
then completed, we hope, the legislative branch appropriations, and we 
will have completed Homeland Security. We have appropriations bills we 
want to work on. We have health care that will likely be worked on 
during that period of time.
  We have the DOD authorization, which is extremely important. Not only 
does it have the standard stuff in it that we always did, but we also 
have to do something about military commissions. This involves the 
situation we have with enemy combatants and

[[Page S6136]]

other people who need to be tried in military courts and who can't be 
tried, for various reasons, in civil courts. That is going to be a part 
of the DOD authorization this year, which will make it difficult. We 
have to do that because what we have passed before was declared 
unconstitutional by the Federal courts. So we have to do that.
  We also have to make a decision as to whether we are going to be able 
to do the Supreme Court nomination during the next work period or 
whether that will spill over until the next period, which would be 
September. I have spoken with the Republican leader about that, and he 
has indicated he is going to be communicating with me as to what he 
thinks should be done in more detail than our brief conversation 
yesterday.
  So the reason I am talking about this today is to alert all Senators, 
as I have, as well as Senator McConnell yesterday, that the next 5 
weeks is going to be a unique work period in the Senate. Because of the 
makeup of the Senate changing over the years and it becoming a place 
where there is an obligation people have with their families, we aren't 
able to work the long weeks we have in the past. We have plenty of work 
to do. No one is complaining that we are not working hard enough, but 
sometimes you just have to put in the time because of the procedural 
obligations we have here, procedural rules we have to follow in the 
Senate.
  So the next work period, which is July 5 through August 7, which is 5 
weeks, there will only be one no-vote day, and that is July 16. The 
reason for that is as I have outlined. We are going to conduct business 
on Mondays and Fridays, and there will be rollcall votes on those days. 
That is the plan.
  I have just been advised that the no-vote day is Friday, July 17, not 
July 16. So everything I have said other than that is valid. July 16 is 
a Thursday.
  For example, health care--we cannot complete that most important 
legislation by working just Tuesday through Thursday.
  I had a chairmen's meeting yesterday. We meet every other week with 
all of the chairmen. It was clear from conversations I had with all of 
our chairmen that we are going to have to have a very long, hard work 
period in July. If there are questions anyone has or special 
circumstances, they can contact either the Republican leader or me, and 
we will be happy to take a look, but everyone is on notice that is 
where we are. So with respect to your scheduling on Mondays and 
Fridays, be very careful because we are not going to be able to come in 
here on Mondays at 5:30. We are going to have to have regular workdays.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask my friend before he leaves the 
floor, what was the no-vote day in the July work period?
  Mr. REID. July 17.
  Mr. McCONNELL. The 17th. I thank the leader.

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