[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 1624]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, to help move things along and to notify 
Democrats as to whose amendment would come, I ask unanimous consent 
that the Democratic amendments--and Senator Stevens may want to 
intersperse these with Republican amendments, and that is his 
privilege, but I ask unanimous consent that the next Democrat amendment 
be that of Senator Kennedy, No. 123; Senator Clinton, No. 89; Senator 
Bingaman, Nos. 126 and 138, and Senator Cantwell, No. 108.
  Mr. President, I also would say on each of these our members have 
agreed to time. But until the majority has seen the amendments, I am 
not going to ask time limits be established, even though we have 
established what our people have asked for in the way of time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? The Senator from Wyoming?
  Mr. THOMAS. I think probably there is no disagreement but at this 
time there needs to be some more agreement from our leader, so I object 
for the moment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, how much time do the Democrats have left?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Two minutes forty seconds.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, all we are trying to do is move things 
along. We have a right to have our amendments in the order we want. If 
we want to move this bill along, as the two leaders want, we cannot 
have these foolish--I know someone told the Senator to object. I am not 
calling the Senator foolish--these foolish objections. I know there is 
nothing that can be done because there is an objection that has been 
raised, but it is too bad.
  Democratic Senators should be aware this is the order we are going to 
offer amendments.
  Mr. BYRD. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. REID. I am happy to yield.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, if the Senator will yield, have these 
priorities been established already and agreed to with Mr. Stevens?
  Mr. REID. Yes, I have talked to Senator Stevens. I talked to him this 
morning in the presence of the majority leader.
  Mr. BYRD. What the distinguished whip is trying to do is simply to 
lay the prioritization in the Record, so Senators will not have to wait 
around; they will know when their amendments are going to be called up?
  Mr. REID. Absolutely right. We have a number of Senators who have 
been waiting since yesterday or the day before to offer amendments. 
This is done so they are not standing around here waiting, so there is 
some kind of order in the Chamber rather than people trying to get 
recognized.
  Mr. BYRD. Perhaps, when Senator Stevens is back on the floor, you can 
get that consent. I would hope so.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  The Senator from Wyoming.

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