[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20830]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--H.R. 2660

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, at this juncture, I ask unanimous consent 
that at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 2, the Senate proceed to the 
consideration of Calendar No. 197, H.R. 2660, the Labor, HHS, and 
Education appropriations bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I will yield to my distinguished colleague 
who will be managing this very important piece of legislation, someone 
who has worked very aggressively, very diligently in this regard and 
who I am confident will lead the Senate in addressing these important 
issues in a timely, efficient, and expeditious way upon our return.
  I yield a few minutes to Chairman Specter.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished majority leader 
for his generous comments. I thank him, further, for listing the 
appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education 
immediately on our return on September 2.
  I have conferred with the ranking member of the Democrats, Senator 
Harkin, about our plan for managing the bill, and have conferred beyond 
that with Senator Byrd, the ranking member of the full committee, and 
with many of the Democrats who will be expected to offer amendments.
  It is a very complex bill governing the Departments of Health and 
Human Services and Education and Labor, and traditionally it brings a 
great many amendments. That is to be expected. It is my thought that we 
can identify the amendments at an early stage, that we can work out 
time agreements, and that we can vote on the amendments.
  I have already talked to some of my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle about doing some of that work in August, where we will be 
identifying amendments. We have an excellent staff on both sides of the 
aisle already working. It is our expectation, beyond our hope, to have 
a very prompt consideration of the bill and to get it completed at an 
early date. I don't want to say any timeline because this body is too 
unpredictable, even with planning and with management, but it is our 
hope to get short time agreements and, with the consent of the 
leadership, to have the votes stacked. If there are arguments, to go 
over and make use of the evening time and proceed to get the bill 
completed.
  There is one very strong incentive on all sides for completing the 
bill and that is that we have $3 billion more if we have a bill than if 
we have a continuing resolution. We do not have too much money to start 
with, and very important items on health, education, and worker safety, 
et cetera.
  So we intend to proceed on that basis. I appreciate the opportunity 
to address my colleagues. As the majority leader has said, people are 
already on planes en route, some worldwide. I have my plans very well 
set. I am on a train in 25 minutes. August is to be spent by this 
Senator traveling his State.
  There is rumor that I have an election coming up in 2004, both a 
primary and a general election. I have a lot of work to do and will be 
attending to it. When we return at the start of September--to the 
Senate business, Senator Harkin and I hope to set the pace to try to 
get these appropriations bills done, to cooperate with the majority 
leader. If there is to be a completion by September 30, the end of the 
fiscal year, this is the giant, once the Department of Defense 
appropriations bill has been finished.
  So we will be hard at work, trying to get through the bill and have 
the Senate work its will and get it completed in the public interest.
  I, again, thank the majority leader.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished chairman. I have 
the utmost confidence we will be able to get on this bill as soon as we 
get back and that, under his leadership, along with that of Senator 
Harkin, we will be able to very effectively and efficiently address the 
issues before us.
  Clearly, we seek early, rather than later, completion. One of the 
advantages of even having this colloquy now and us having the statement 
together is that people know what we are coming to. They have plenty of 
time to look at the appropriations and develop what comments they have 
to make and allow time for preparation of amendments. With that, we 
should be able to come back and hit the ground running.
  Mr. SPECTER. If I might make one addenda, Mr. President, and that is 
the option of third reading if people do not have amendments to offer. 
One of the banes of the Senate procedure is the quorum call, those two 
lights up there when nothing is happening on the floor.
  I have long been an advocate that, if amendments are not offered, we 
ought to go to third reading. When people have more than a month to 
prepare, I think that is a fair position to take. When I last managed 
this bill in June of the year 2000, we finished the bill on the Senate 
floor on June 28, which tied a record going back to 1974.
  We cannot do that; we are already past June 28. But I think we can 
get this bill done. But let the record show: Let the buyers beware. Let 
Senators be on notice that this manager intends to push for third 
reading if we have quorum calls up there. People ought to bring their 
amendments to the floor and we will debate them and vote on them and 
work the will of the Senate and work through promptly.
  Again, I thank the majority leader.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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