[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3547]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    GRASSLEY-WYDEN INITIATIVE LETTER

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter sent 
to all Senators today addressing the procedures governing the use of 
holds, signed by the Democratic leader, Senator Daschle, and myself, be 
placed in the Record. This letter is a result of ongoing negotiations 
between Senators Grassley and Wyden, the Democratic leader and myself, 
beginning early in the 105th Congress, and encourages all Members to 
make their legislative holds known.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:


                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                Washington, DC, February 25, 1999.
       Dear Colleague: As the 106th Congress begins,we wish to 
     clarify to all colleagues, procedures governing the use of 
     holds during the new legislative session. All Senators should 
     remember the Grassley and Wyden initiative, calling for a 
     Senator to ``provide notice to leadership of his or her 
     intention to object to proceeding to a motion or matter [and] 
     disclose the hold in the Congressional Record.''
       While we believe that all Members will agree this practice 
     of ``secret holds'' has been a Senatorial courtesy extended 
     by party Leaders for many Congresses, it is our intention to 
     address some concerns raised regarding this practice.
       Therefore, at the beginning of the first session of the 
     106th Congress, all Members wishing to place a hold on any 
     legislation or executive calendar business shall notify the 
     sponsor of the legislation and the committee of jurisdiction 
     of their concerns. Further, written notification should be 
     provided to the respective Leader stating their intentions 
     regarding the bill or nomination. Holds placed on items by a 
     Member of a personal or committee staff will not be honored 
     unless accompanied by a written notification from the 
     objecting Senator by the end of the following business day.
       We look forward to working with you to produce a successful 
     new Congress.
           Best regards,
     Trent Lott,
       Majority Leader.
     Tom Daschle,
       Democratic Leader.

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