[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16023]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             BIPARTISANSHIP

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, this week something rare occurred here in 
the Senate: We debated a bill under regular order. No filibusters were 
mounted, no cloture motions were filed on the motion to proceed. That 
is certainly a rare occasion. For that reason we have had ample time to 
debate and consider amendments. This is how the process should work.
  Typically, over the last few years we have spent weeks running out 
the clock on endless procedural motions rather than debating important 
legislation. It is no wonder the Senate rarely accomplishes anything 
when it takes more than a week to have a vote even to begin a bill; 
that is, whether we even take up a bill, start debate on a bill.
  I would note, however, that even in this case, and this is an 
important piece of legislation, the Defense authorization bill--I did 
not have to file cloture to get to the bill, but we spent weeks going 
back and forth to get this bill to the floor. Even though the bill 
managers are working mightily to make regular order work, a number of 
Senators have advanced nonrelevant amendments, threatening to derail 
the process. More than 360 amendments have been filed to this bill, 
many of them nonrelevant. I understand there is a lot of pent-up 
feelings about: Why have I not been able to offer amendments the last 
couple of years? Well, because we have not gotten on bills, and when we 
do, nothing much happens because of the problems that have developed.
  A number of my colleagues, especially this past week, both Democrats 
and Republicans, have come to me asking for a better path forward in 
this body, this legislative body we so love. They want the Senate to 
function again in the manner the Founders envisioned. They want to see 
us debate legislation, consider relevant amendments, and then vote up 
or down on the matters before this body. Senators want to see us 
conclude legislation, pass or fail. Let's decide what we are going to 
do, not avoid doing something. They do not want to see more good bills 
filibustered to death without ever even getting a real vote. If a bill 
is worth bringing to the floor of this body, the Senate, it should get 
to the floor so we can start the debate.
  One reason we have been able to work with 50, 60 amendments on this 
bill--actually that are disposed of--is because we did not have to 
waste time for more than a week on a motion to proceed to get to it. So 
I repeat, if a bill is worth bringing to the floor of this body, it 
should get to the floor quickly. It deserves an up-or-down vote once we 
go on it.

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