[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20669]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                PROGRAM

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow we will return to the Agriculture 
appropriations bill. This bill was laid down last Thursday and we 
resumed that bill today. Unfortunately, Members did not take advantage 
of their opportunity to offer amendments during those 2 days. I very 
much appreciate the Democratic leader, on behalf of one of his 
colleagues, offering an amendment a few minutes ago.
  I am prepared to tell the managers that if no one comes to offer 
amendments, we should go to third reading and passage of the bill. We 
give Senators the opportunity to offer amendments, they say they are 
going to offer amendments in the future, and they do not come to the 
floor. That leaves us with the only alternative, which is going to 
third reading and passage of the bill. We will talk to the committee 
and see if we can vote on the amendment that the Democratic leader just 
introduced prior to the policy recess.
  But having said that, I do need to forewarn all of our colleagues 
that the managers on these appropriations bills, both the ones over the 
last 2 weeks as well as the Agriculture appropriations bill we are 
dealing with, are very patient. They have been very patient. They stay 
on the floor throughout the day, and they are here many nights and 
Mondays and Fridays, waiting for our colleagues to offer the amendments 
that they say they want to offer. It is now time for people to get very 
serious and come over and, if they have amendments, to offer those 
amendments. There is no reason to wait for a Wednesday night or a 
Thursday night to offer amendments. I do ask our colleagues to contact 
Senators Bennett and Kohl now, to work through their amendments.
  We are going to have a busy week. Real progress has been made on the 
judicial nomination to the Supreme Court--last week with the hearings 
and this week at the committee level. Next week that nomination will be 
brought to the floor of the Senate, and ultimately we will all have the 
opportunity to speak and vote.

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