[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 55]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HOPE FOR CHILDREN ACT

  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I move to proceed to H.R. 622, and I 
ask unanimous consent that the pending farm bill not be displaced by 
the adoption of this motion.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is on agreeing to the motion.
  The motion was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 622) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 
     1986 to expand the adoption credit, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.


                           Amendment No. 2698

(Purpose: To provide incentives for an economic recovery, and for other 
                               purposes)

  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I have an amendment at the desk and ask 
for its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Daschle], for himself 
     and Mr. Baucus, proposes an amendment numbered 2698.

  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (The text of the amendment is printed in today's Record under 
``Amendments Submitted.'')
  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I express my appreciation to the 
distinguished Republican leader for this ongoing effort to try to get 
to this point. This is not what he would have subscribed to; this is 
not what I would have subscribed to necessarily.
  Basically what this does is provide us with an opportunity to move 
forward on an economic stimulus package. It is open to amendment. But 
what I have done with the amendment I have just offered to the bill, 
H.R. 622, which is the adoption tax credit bill that had been on the 
calendar, is simply provide an opportunity now for us to move forward.
  The amendment I have just offered is comprised of the four components 
I have been talking about on the floor and off the floor. The amendment 
includes, first, the bonus depreciation legislation, the tax rebate, 
the unemployment legislation, and the so-called FMAP, the resources 
provided to the States to help them offset the cost of Medicaid.
  Those four components are components in various forms, of course, 
that have been supported by Republicans and Democrats. It is the right 
of any Senator now to offer an amendment, whether it is the complete 
substitute that some might prefer or targeted amendments dealing with 
these four components or something else.
  My hope is, however, at some point in the not too distant future we 
can complete our work on this and go to conference so we can ultimately 
complete our work on a bill that enjoys both House and Senate support 
and hopefully the support of the President as well.
  That is, in essence, what we have done today. I appreciate the help 
and the cooperative effort that has been made by a number of our 
colleagues, not the least of whom is the Republican leader. I yield the 
floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I believe Senator Daschle has 
appropriately described the procedure that is being employed in this 
situation. It is highly appropriate we begin this new year by trying to 
work through the amendments and the process that can get us to an 
economic security package.
  I do think the economy needs some stimulus. I do think we need 
additional unemployment compensation. I think we need to look at ways 
to give incentives to small businessmen and women to create jobs so we 
have growth in the economy, so we are not just trying to help our 
people make sure they have something to live on this week but so they 
can get and have a good paying job in the future.
  We could debate about when we should have done it and how we should 
do it, but the fact is we should do this. We have talked back and forth 
during the past 24 hours about the best way to proceed. I obviously 
thought the best way to proceed was to call up the House-passed 
bipartisan bill, have it open for amendment and debate and see how it 
moved and to get a vote on that, but we could not come to agreement to 
get that done.
  We also looked at coming up with this so-called common approach with 
the four components and limiting amendments. Part of the problem was 
the fourth item, the Federal assistance to the States. The way it was 
going to be introduced was not in the bipartisan House-passed package 
so it was thought this was not a common approach provision by our 
people.
  There also was some resistance, I think in both conferences, to say 
we can only have two or three amendments. I believe by having an 
opportunity to offer amendments on both sides after a reasonable period 
of time Members are going to make a decision. We need to go ahead and 
get this done and get it to conference or, if we cannot come to 
agreement on something, it deserves to go forward. It is going to be 
difficult because at this point procedurally 60 votes are required for 
amendments or substitutes. We will have a full debate. We will have a 
chance to offer amendments, and I think it is necessary and appropriate 
that we try to get a stimulus package done.
  So after a lot of discussion back and forth, this is the best 
procedure we could propose. We did not require a vote on the motion to 
proceed to the bill that was being used to call up this procedure, and 
we are not filibustering it. We want it resolved. I think this could 
get it resolved, but it is going to be tough. It is going to take some 
give and take on both sides. We have to try to come up with something 
that will enjoy bipartisan support to get 60 votes. We will see if we 
can get that done. It is certainly worth the effort.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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