[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13418]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--S. 2549

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the only 
first-degree amendments remaining in order to the Department of Defense 
authorization bill, S. 2549, be limited to amendments that are relevant 
to the provisions of the bill and on the finite list of amendments in 
order to the bill, that these first-degree amendments be subject to 
relevant second-degree amendments, provided further that the first-
degree amendments must be filed at the desk by close of business 
Friday, June 30, 2000.
  I further ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the two 
managers to send to the desk any packages of amendments that are 
relevant and from the finite list of amendments in order to the bill 
and that these amendments be cleared by both managers of the 
legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, we do not object. Quite the contrary; we 
thank the distinguished chairman of our committee and the leaders, both 
majority and minority, for their good work, and also Senator Reid, who 
has worked so hard on this, and all the other Senators who have 
cooperated to make this unanimous consent agreement possible. I also 
thank Senator Byrd, who has been waiting very patiently, so we could 
dispose of this important measure.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, we thank Senator Byrd. He has been an 
integral part of these negotiations, together with Senator Roth and 
others. I am hopeful that matter can be resolved in the future.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the unanimous consent 
request? Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my distinguished colleague, 
Senator Levin, who has worked with me throughout on this bill. For 22 
years we have been together, and our respective chiefs of staff. It has 
been entirely separate, but we have achieved another milestone. Now it 
appears to me that we will be able to come to the Senate at a time 
convenient to our leadership and complete action on the annual Defense 
authorization bill. I believe this will be 42 consecutive times the 
Senate has passed this wide piece of legislation for the men and women 
in the Armed Forces and, indeed, the security of the Nation. I yield 
the floor.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I notice our staffs are smiling as well 
because this has been a big effort on their part. With all the years we 
have put in together, we will not be able to catch up to Senator Byrd, 
but we are going to keep using him as our role model.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. I thank the chairman and ranking member of the Armed 
Services Committee for the excellent work they have consistently given 
to this legislation, the many times they have brought it to the floor 
of the Senate. The distinguished Senator from Virginia, Mr. Warner, and 
I worked together on several amendments. I am always happy to have his 
cooperation and his cosponsorship. He is a man whose heart is as stout 
as an Irish oak and as pure as the Lakes of Killarney.
  As to the distinguished ranking member, the Bible says: Seest thou a 
man diligent in his business? He shall stand before Kings. Senator 
Levin has already stood before Kings and will probably stand before 
more if there are any left.
  Mr. WARNER. We thank our distinguished former majority leader and a 
member of the Armed Services Committee for his kind remarks.
  Mr. BYRD. I thank both of my colleagues.

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