September 22, 1978
Page 30871
ORDER OF PROCEDURE
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, may I have the attention of the Senators?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will be in order so the majority leader may proceed.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I thank the Chair.
Mr. President, I rise at this moment to suggest that we attempt to get an agreement as to a final vote on the pending bill and to state that it is the intention of the leadership that on tomorrow, we do the countercyclical revenue sharing bill and the conference report on the second concurrent budget resolution. The distinguished Senator from Maine, the chairman of the Budget Committee, tells me there will be a rollcall vote on that conference report. There will, of course, be a rollcall vote or votes on the countercyclical revenue sharing bill. These are two measures that we have to dispose of.
I make the request — I shall be glad to withhold for the time being. I suggest that we have a vote on passage of the pending measure no later than 6:30 p.m. today; that the distinguished Senator from Utah and others who are interested in specific amendments in the bill, possibly having votes on them, select those amendments, indicate which committee amendments they are, and let us get an understanding that we will vote on those amendments, and vote on passage not later than 6:30 p.m. today. Tomorrow, the business will be as stated — countercyclical revenue sharing and the conference report.
Mr. GOLDWATER. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. GOLDWATER. Will he indicate what time we will come in tomorrow?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. At the present time, the time for convening is 9 a.m. I shall be glad to set that earlier in order to accommodate Senators. There is no reason we could not come in at 8 o'clock and start on the conference report.
I wonder how long the Senator from Maine expects to take on the conference report?
Mr. MUSKIE. The outside limit under the law is 2 hours. I would be surprised if we needed an hour. My guess would be no more than half an hour. I know of no controversy. The House approved the resolution 225 to 162 yesterday and the big issues were on that side. I expect that, unless there are issues of which I am unaware, we would take no more that an hour and probably less.
Mr. LEAHY. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. LEAHY. I wonder, in this case perhaps it would be easier for some who like myself, are staying over tonight may possibly have to leave later tomorrow, if we might, when the leader propounds his request, set a specific time for a vote, say either at 9 or 9:30, something like that, for a vote on the budget resolution?
In this way, all Senators, whatever their plans might be, even those planning to leave tomorrow, would know specifically that relatively early, or by 9:30, that that is the time the vote would be.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I think that is an excellent suggestion.
Mr. MUSKIE. I suggest to the majority leader we agree on a time limit of 1 hour on the conference report.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a vote occur on the adoption of the conference report at 9 o'clock a.m.
Mr. DOLE. Reserving the right to object, the Senator from Kansas may want to submit a motion to recommit the conference report.
If I did that late today or in the morning, what would happen to the agreement here?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I could get consent that the distinguished Senator from Kansas be recognized at 9 o'clock a.m. to make his motion to recommit. How much time would the Senator want to debate?
Mr. DOLE. We could vote on it, I assume, sometime tomorrow.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Why not do it this way? The Senator could be recognized before 9 o'clock and we could vote at 9 o'clock on the Senator's motion to recommit, followed immediately, if the motion does not carry, with a vote on the adoption of the conference report.
Mr. GOLDWATER. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. GOLDWATER. On tomorrow, it is of such short duration, we have already exhausted any possibilities of any of us going home tonight, why would it not be better to say that we stay tonight and finish this one at 6:30, stay until 7:30 or 8 o'clock, and forget about tomorrow?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. We cannot finish the countercyclical revenue sharing bill today.
I would like the Senator from Maine to express his viewpoint on the conference report.
I think we will do well if we can finish the foreign assistance bill today, and may I say to my friend from Arizona, I think the rest of the program would be too much for today.
Is that agreeable with respect to the Senator's motion to recommit?
Mr. DOLE. I just wanted to say this to the majority leader, I understand there is a rather loose agreement we can go back to the conference report at any time.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. DOLE. I do not want to interfere with the vote on the budget resolution, but if the Senator from Kansas or anybody else decided after the vote to discuss the conference report on gas pricing, or to offer a motion to recommit, that would be in order, is that correct?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. The Senator can offer a motion to recommit at any time, including today.
I merely ask an agreement which will allow the Senate to dispose of the budget resolution conference report tomorrow. That is a very highly privileged matter, and under the law we cannot adjourn sine die until that act has been completed.
I am also attempting to get an agreement on countercyclical revenue sharing so that as to that legislation, which is a piece of legislation that is absolutely necessary for the Congress to dispose of on tomorrow, all Senators will know precisely what we are going to have up tomorrow.
Mr. MUSKIE. I take it the Senator's motion to recommit has nothing to do with the budget resolution?
Mr. DOLE. No. I am talking about natural gas.
Mr. MUSKIE. So we would still have the vote on the budget resolution at 9 o'clock.
Mr. DOLE. At any time, we could discuss the conference report or move to recommit, any time until Wednesday.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. The Senator is correct.
Mr. DOLE. I would not want to interfere with the arrangement with the Senator from Maine. My question was, following that, would it be in order then to prepare and file and discuss a motion to recommit the natural gas conference report?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. It certainly would be in order under the agreement already entered. But I would hope the Senate could dispose of the countercyclical revenue bill tomorrow and, if the Senator wished to make his motion to recommit the gas bill and debate it, certainly, that would be in order.
I would hope we could get an agreement, however, to dispose of these two other measures tomorrow.
So I am asking unanimous consent—
Mr. MUSKIE. A question on the time limit.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes. That the vote occur up or down on the conference report on the second concurrent budget resolution tomorrow at 9 o'clock a.m.
Mr. JAVITS. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. JAVITS. We have not agreed yet on when we will vote on this bill. Has that been set aside?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. No. But if we can get that agreement first, we will proceed further.
Mr. HATCH. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. HATCH. If I understand the Senator correctly, we will decide this bill today, then two tomorrow, and then, if anyone wishes to talk on the natural gas bill, we will be able to do so tomorrow. But those are the only pieces of legislation— .
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. The only pieces of legislation we would possibly call up tomorrow would be the conference report and, hopefully, there will be s vote at 9 o'clock a.m., and countercyclical revenue sharing.
Mr. HATCH. Is anything further to be called up today?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. If we complete this bill today, if we can get as agreement to proceed with a firm time limitation on a final vote, I would not expect to call anything else up today
Mr. HATCH. I would certainly agree.
As stated, reserve those sections, agree to accept the amendments en bloc of the committee through the end of the bill, except for those sections that Senator Byrd or anybody else, or I, want to try to amend.
Mr. ROBERT C, BYRD. Yes.
Mr. HATCH. And we will work those out in the next few minutes.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. HATCH. That is fine with me.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I thank the distinguished Senator. I appreciate his cooperation.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I thank all Senators.