[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16214-16215]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of H.R. 3057, which the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3057) making appropriations for foreign 
     operations, export financing, and related programs for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for other 
     purposes.


                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized.


                                Schedule

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today, we return to the consideration of 
the Foreign Operations appropriations bill. We began that bill last 
Friday with opening statements. Senators McConnell and Leahy are ready 
for Members to offer their amendments during today's session. They are 
not encouraging amendments, but if Senators do want to offer 
amendments, we do ask they come forward as soon as possible. I am very 
hopeful we can complete this bill tomorrow. I think it is likely we can 
do that if Senators will come forward today and offer amendments, if 
they have any.
  We will be voting this afternoon at about 5:30, and we will be 
announcing a little bit later today what the nature of that vote will 
be. Senators will be notified once we lock in the time. It will be 
around 5:30 today.
  As a reminder, tomorrow, at 10 o'clock in the morning, there will be 
a joint meeting with the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister 
of India, Manmohan Singh, will be speaking to both Houses of Congress 
at that joint meeting.
  We have 2 weeks remaining before our next recess. We have a lot of 
business over the next 2 weeks to conduct. The Democratic leader and I 
were just talking, going through our objectives, and will be sharing 
that and consulting with our colleagues as to how these next 2 weeks 
will play out. The floor schedule is going to be very busy. It will 
take precedence over other schedules, so we do ask Senators to keep 
their schedules flexible so we can accomplish the many tasks before us.


                     Health Information Technology

  Mr. President, on another issue, briefly--but it is an issue that 
means a lot to me as one who sees the real advantage in legislating in 
this arena--I want to comment on the issue of electronic medical 
records and the increasing necessity, if we are going to eliminate the 
waste and abuse in our health care system today, of focusing on ways to 
share information throughout our health care system, which has been too 
fragmented and too disjointed in terms of communication.
  I want to share with our colleagues that we have worked a lot on this 
issue over the last 4 to 5 days, including the weekend, and that we 
have made real progress and have come very close to achieving the goal 
of having privacy-protected electronic health records legislation come 
before this body.
  Senator Clinton and I introduced legislation last June. Senators Enzi 
and Kennedy have been working on legislation. Our goal has been to pull 
this legislation together. Indeed, we have made real progress in 
agreeing to outlines of strong legislation, which I am absolutely 
convinced will eliminate a lot of waste in the system, will improve 
quality, will increase efficiencies in the delivery of health care, 
will empower payments, and will improve patient safety throughout our 
health care system. So I am very excited about it.
  We promote the use of electronic health records by adopting 
standards. You have to have similar standards throughout the system if 
people are going to come in and participate and share information. So 
we approached standards. We ensure quality measurement. We eliminate 
barriers to the adoption of this technology of electronic health 
records. And we incentivize providers and those throughout the system 
who use this information to actually adopt the standards with lowered 
barriers so the advantages can be realized.
  I thank Senators Clinton, Enzi, and Kennedy for all of their 
tremendous work. Chairman Enzi plans to take that legislation to the 
HELP Committee, I believe, on Wednesday morning. Following that, I look 
forward to working with my colleagues for Senate passage.
  Mr. President, we have a very busy week before us. Again, we will be 
turning to the foreign operations legislation shortly.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.


                   Recognition of the Minority Leader

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Democratic leader is recognized.


                  Unanimous Consent Request--H.R. 3130

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, before my distinguished colleague leaves the 
floor, I ask unanimous consent that the Appropriations Committee be 
discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3130, the veterans health 
care supplemental bill, that the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration, and that the bill be amended to increase the funding 
level to $1.5 billion; that the bill, as amended, be read a third time 
and passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we have been here before. Indeed, the 
Senate has voted twice, most recently on the Homeland Security 
appropriations bill we finished last week, and then a week before that 
on the Interior appropriations bill, to provide $1.5 billion for 
veterans health programs for the current fiscal year, with the 
remainder of it to be used until expended.

[[Page 16215]]

  I supported those amendments, as did the Democratic leader.
  The conference on the Interior bill, I understand, is well underway 
and will be completed by the end of this week. I fully expect that the 
$1.5 billion in additional funding for veterans health care will be on 
the President's desk for his signature before we leave in 2 weeks for 
the August recess.
  In addition, I should also mention it is important that no veteran 
right now--no single veteran--is being denied needed health care. The 
other thing I want to mention to the Democratic leader, because I have 
not mentioned it before, is that if, for some unexpected reason, the 
Interior appropriations conference report is not finished, then I think 
he and I could join together and sponsor legislation, stand-alone 
legislation if need be, to accomplish the same thing that he requests. 
I do not believe it is necessary today because we will accomplish this 
goal before we leave. The conference on the Interior bill is underway 
and will provide that funding.
  Therefore, I object to the unanimous consent request by the minority 
leader.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, if I could just briefly say, I appreciate 
the statement of the distinguished majority leader. I want this matter 
to stay before the attention of the Senate. I think it would be better 
to do it this way and send it to the House. I think that would be so 
much better. It would be done, I believe, more quickly.
  But I also say at this stage the veterans programs are being 
cannibalized. Those programs for capital construction are being used 
for health care. I think it would be better if we dispose of this. I 
will watch the conference committee very closely. It is really not a 
place for veterans funding programs, but we will take it wherever we 
get it. Again, I am sorry we were not able to work it out more quickly, 
but I do look forward to completing it in this work period.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have a question I want to ask my friend.
  The money in the Interior bill, I hope it is additional money, not 
money coming from other programs. Does the distinguished majority 
leader know about that? Do you understand my question? I hope it is new 
money. I hope it is not money we are taking from other programs.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in response, I will check with Chairman 
Burns to see where specifically the money comes from. I am not exactly 
aware where the money comes from.
  Mr. REID. Because if it is going to come from other Interior 
programs, I would even go so far as to suggest maybe the Presiding 
Officer would not want $1.5 billion to come out of the Interior bill 
for programs that are not within the Interior bill. I know I would not 
like that.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, it is all new money. It is not being taken 
from other programs.
  Mr. REID. That is real good news.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Alexander). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. 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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