[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 477]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   MAKING MAJORITY PARTY APPOINTMENTS

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 18) making majority party 
     appointments to certain Senate committees for the 108th 
     Congress.

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I hope we can agree to this resolution in 
short order. Following its approval, we will proceed to the minority 
committee appointments, which will allow the Senate to begin the real 
work.
  Mr. REID. On behalf of the minority leader, and I spoke to him just 
before coming out here, the Democratic leader and I have spoken. He 
feels, as does the majority leader, that we need to try to move this 
organizing resolution along, and both leaders have worked and assigned 
staff to work on it. It is moving along. We hope it can be accomplished 
very quickly. We are both going to go now to our weekly party 
conferences and this will be discussed at length with other important 
matters before the Senate.
  I, on behalf of the Democratic Senate, understand the frustration of 
the majority leader. We had the same problem a year and a half or so 
ago. It took a while to resolve that almost 6 weeks. I certainly hope 
this does not take that long. I appreciate the manner and tone that the 
resolution is offered. Of course, it is fully debatable. We hope it 
does not have to be fully debated.
  It is my understanding now that morning business is closed and the 
Senate will recess, is that right?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will proceed with consideration of 
the resolution.

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