[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           NECESSARILY ABSENT

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, last Friday I was necessarily absent from 
the Senate to survey recent flood damage in North Dakota. For a period 
of three days, rain, hail and tornadoes inundated northeast North 
Dakota and, sadly, four people lost their lives. My duty was to my 
constituents who were in the middle of another devastating natural 
disaster. As a result, I missed one vote Friday morning.
  For the record, had I been present, I would have voted yes on 
adoption of the conference report to S. 761, the Electronic Signatures 
Act. The legislation will have an important impact on the electronic 
marketplace and how business is conducted via the Internet. My vote 
would not have changed the outcome of this vote.

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