[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15978]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I thank the majority leader. I made the 
point earlier that we did have before the Senate the pending business, 
which is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It did seem, since 
it was the pending business, that under the rules generally, after the 
time expires under morning business, we would go back to that 
legislation.
  I know the majority leader has attempted to work out a process with 
the minority leader to move forward the business of the Senate. The 
education bill has been the pending business since May of this year. 
That has taken us through May, through June, and through July.
  I still think we can complete the ESEA prior to recessing this week. 
If we are unable to get agreement on these appropriations bills--I know 
they are important and generally, as the year goes on, they receive a 
higher priority, but it does seem to me that education has a high 
priority as well. I had thought we were going to have an opportunity to 
deal with the education legislation during the evenings of last week. 
We were unable to do so. We got caught up in the Agriculture 
appropriations bill.
  I am wondering whether the majority leader can give us any indication 
whether he has an intention of getting back to the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act and, if so, when that might be because with the 
successful motion the Senator has made and with the invoking of 
cloture, as I understand, the elementary and secondary education bill 
is returned to the calendar and will not be before the Senate as the 
pending business. With those actions, we are returning the elementary 
and secondary education bill uncompleted to the calendar. It does seem 
to me to be a priority. I am wondering what assurances the leader might 
be able to give us on the issue.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I can respond to the Senator's questions 
and comments, he knows a major effort was made last Thursday evening to 
come up with an agreement on how to proceed further on the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act.
  One of the problems we had then, and we continue to have, is Senators 
on both sides of the aisle have nongermane, noneducation issues they 
want to get into or, conversely, amendments they do not want to be 
offered. I know there had been some suggestion that maybe the NCAA 
gaming issue would be offered, and there was a feeling on the 
Democratic side that should not be included in the package of what we 
proceed to consider.
  There is at least one Senator on this side who is interested in being 
able to offer an IDEA amendment which, in fact, relates to education, 
but there was resistance to that Senator being able to offer his 
amendment.
  Then it got into immigration, and we were close to working out an 
agreement that connected, in a way, this bill with H-1B. In the end, we 
could not get the agreement. A lot of time was put in on that by 
Senators on both sides. Senator Daschle and I worked very hard on it. 
We were up the hill, down the hill.
  We will keep trying to find a way to go back to this legislation this 
year and get it completed. I have another idea I am considering right 
now that will get us back on it in a way that will actually get it to 
completion. That is my goal. I am not interested in only going back to 
it and playing games with it and having nongermane, noneducation issues 
poured on this bill. I want to stick to education. I think we can have 
a good debate and a lot of amendments that are strictly related to 
elementary and secondary education. I realize the ingenuity of Senators 
can stretch the idea of related amendments to education.
  That is the way I would like to proceed. Right now we are having 
trouble getting agreement to do appropriations bills and the 
intelligence authorization bill. I am even worried about being able to 
go forward with the commitment to begin the proceedings on the China 
PNTR tomorrow, which I still hope to be able to do, but it is going to 
take some concessions, again, as to how we proceed to get that done.
  I will be glad to keep working with Senator Kennedy, Senator Daschle, 
Senator Reid, Senator Gregg, and Senator Ashcroft. I like the bill. I 
would like to get it done. I would like to vote on it just as it is 
myself. I do not think we need to fix it up anymore. It does not need 
more bells and whistles. Let's just vote. I know others have 
amendments, and we will try to find agreement.
  Mr. KENNEDY. If the Senator will yield for one more observation.
  Mr. LOTT. Yes.
  Mr. KENNEDY. We do know children start back to school in late August 
and early September. Time is moving along. There were allocations of 
resources in appropriations bills where there has been absolutely no 
authorization or statement of policy. It does seem to me that parents, 
school boards, and schoolteachers are entitled to a full debate and 
discussion on these issues and for the Senate to work its will.
  I appreciate what the Senator has said. I hope he understands we are 
going to continue to raise this issue as we move along because I do 
think it is a top priority. The American families who have 58 million 
children in schools across this country are entitled to a response. I 
thank the majority leader.
  Mr. LOTT. I thank Senator Kennedy, and I thank Senator Domenici for 
allowing us to have an exchange. I know he is anxious to get his bill 
done. It is an important bill, the energy and water appropriations 
bill. It means a great deal to our country. I know he is trying to find 
a way to proceed.
  At this point, this is the only option I have. I yield the floor so 
he may comment on that.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.

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