[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16941-16942]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 3769

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration of S. 
3769 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. I ask 
unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements 
relating to the measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I am not 
familiar with this bill. I have been informed by our cloakroom that 
there are objections to this from Members who are familiar with the 
content of the bill and/or members of the Foreign Relations Committee. 
I hope those as well can be resolved this evening. Absent that 
happening, I will have to object to this unanimous consent request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

[[Page 16942]]


  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I am disappointed that tonight we could not 
pass this bill. This is the Cuba Transition Act of 2006 which I 
cosponsored along with the Senators Ensign and Martinez.
  This bill would have authorized assistance to the people of Cuba, 
encouraged a democratic election process, and created a fund to support 
independent civil-society-building efforts.
  It would have created the Fund For a Free Cuba which would have 
provided assistance to a transitional government in Cuba, and included 
assistance to political prisoners and their families, other dissidents, 
independent libraries, youth organizations, workers rights activists, 
agricultural cooperatives, associations of the self-employed, 
journalists, economists, and medical doctors.
  This has been cleared by our side. I believe that the other side, the 
Democrats, will have an opportunity to show solidarity with the Cuban 
people. We will try to clear this bill through the Senate when we 
reconvene.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, if I might be allowed to comment as well, 
as the Senator from Tennessee, the majority leader, describes the bill, 
it sounds as if it is one that I gladly and wholeheartedly would 
support. I know Senator Martinez has a special interest in this issue, 
having been born in Cuba and then coming to the United States and still 
with the great love for the land where he was born.
  I have spoken to him for the last several days while there apparently 
is a transition of power in place there. And I know how important this 
is to him personally and to so many other people of Cuban dissent who 
live in the United States.
  I am sorry that it cannot be cleared, but there are some on this side 
of the aisle who have expressed some reservation or objection at this 
point. But I personally hope that we can do this as quickly as possible 
so that the people of Cuba can appreciate and enjoy freedom as soon as 
we can give them a helping hand.

                          ____________________