[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14027]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT--H.R. 6331 AND H.R. 2642

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, notwithstanding 
rule XXII, and the pendency of a motion, that a motion to proceed to 
Calendar No. 836, H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and 
Providers Act, be considered made by virtue of this agreement and there 
be 60 minutes of debate on the motion, with the time equally divided 
and controlled between the leaders or their designees; that upon the 
use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote on a motion to 
invoke cloture on the motion to proceed, with the mandatory quorum 
waived; that if cloture is invoked on the motion to proceed, then all 
postcloture time be yielded back, the motion to proceed be agreed to, 
and the Senate proceed to the consideration of the bill; that the bill 
be read a third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, without further intervening action or debate; that if 
cloture is not invoked, then the motion to proceed be withdrawn and the 
bill returned to the calendar; that upon the disposition of H.R. 6331, 
the Senate then consider the message from the House with respect to 
H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act; that by virtue of this 
consent being agreed to, the motion to concur in the House amendments 
to the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment 
to the bill be considered made; that Senator Coburn be recognized to 
raise a point of order and that there be 15 minutes of debate, with 5 
minutes each for Coburn and the majority leader and the Republican 
leader, or their designees; that upon the use of that time, a motion to 
waive the Budget Act be considered made and the Senate then vote on the 
motion to waive; that if the waiver is successful, the Senate proceed 
to vote on the motion to concur; that upon disposition of the motion to 
concur, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc, with 
no further motions in order; provided further, that if the motion to 
waive fails, then this agreement be null and void.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I, obviously, am not going to. I ask my good friend, 
the majority leader, if he thinks we need 60 minutes of debate. Is 
there some chance time will be yielded back?
  Mr. REID. We would be happy to limit that--the supplemental 
appropriations bill we are talking about?
  Mr. McCONNELL. No.
  Mr. REID. On Medicare. I say to my friend, I think Senator Hatch 
wants to finish his statement, Senator Durbin is here. I think we 
should do the 60 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. There was no objection to the request; is that right?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________