July 18, 1979
Page 19206
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT — LABOR-HEW APPROPRIATIONS AND EXPORT BILL
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that, following the disposition of the agriculture appropriations bill, the Senate proceed to the consideration of the Labor-HEW appropriations bill, with the understanding that this not be before tomorrow and that no call for the regular order bring that bill down; provided further that, on Friday, the majority leader be authorized, after consultation with the distinguished acting Republican leader or the Republican leader, to call up Calendar Order No. 181, S. 737, the export bill; provided that if the Labor- HEW appropriations bill has not theretofore been disposed of, only amendments by Mr. Stevens be in order to the export bill on Friday; and that during the consideration of that upon the disposition of those amendments, the Senate then return to the Labor-HEW appropriation bill in the event it has not been disposed of by that time; and that, in that event, the export bill be temporarily laid aside and that no call for the regular order may bring down the Labor-HEW appropriations bill until it has been disposed of.
Mr. STEVENS, Mr. CULVER, and Mr. JAVITS reserved the right to object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, it is my understanding that, following that sequence, the export bill will be the business taken up after the Labor-HEW bill?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes, the export bill would be and is now the pending business before the Senate, except for the consent order that has been entered to bring up the agricultural appropriations bill.
Mr. STEVENS. Reserving the right to object further, I want to state that I am indebted to the majority leader. I may have to be away on Saturday. I am not sure about that yet. The manager of the bill has consented to allow me to bring up the amendments concerning Alaskan oil on Friday under this arrangement. It will mean putting aside the HEW bill temporarily to consider the Alaska. oil questions and going back to HEW once those questions are resolved that pertain to the Riegle amendment.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. After which may I say, also, to assure the Senator upon the disposition of the amendments by Mr. STEVENS, the Senate would automatically revert back to the Labor-HEW; and on the disposition of that bill the Senate would automatically go back to the export bill.
Mr. JAVITS. Reserving the right to object, is there any unanimous consent upon the export administration bill?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. STEVENS. There is a time agreement.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. That has already been entered.
Mr. JAVITS. There is?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. JAVITS. Go back to that?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. JAVITS. And this consent is not prejudicing the matter further, other than to consider the Stevens amendment?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. This only permits the Senate to go to the Labor-HEW bill after the agriculture bill, and that on Friday, if the Labor-HEW bill has not been disposed of prior to that time, the Senate temporarily would go to the export bill to dispose of the Stevens amendment, after which it would go back on Labor-HEW.
Mr. STEVENS. Reserving the right to object, further, there is a time agreement on the amendments that I intend to offer concerning the Riegle amendment to the export bill, that is already agreed to.
Mr. DECONCINI. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. DECONCINI. Does the majority leader anticipate returning to HEW and doing that on Saturday?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes. It would be the intention of the leadership to continue Labor-HEW on Saturday, if necessary, or the export bill on Saturday, if necessary.
Mr. DECONCINI. Either one?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. DECONCINI. And the agreement does not include any time limitation on HEW?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. It does not.
Mr. DECONCINI. On amendments. I thank the Senator.
Mr. MUSKIE. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. MUSKIE. I have an amendment to the export bill. There would be an opportunity for that, I assume, on either Friday or Saturday?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I did not understand the Senator.
Mr. STEVENS. The Senator asked if there would be an opportunity to amend the bill.
Mr. MAGNUSON. How long will it take?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I do not know. But the Labor-HEW appropriation would not be inconvenient except for the time required to dispose of the Stevens amendments on—
Mr. MAGNUSON. There is a time limitation.
Mr. STEVENS. Yes, on those.
Mr. MUSKIE. Since we have the Stevens amendment on Friday, have my amendment on Friday. I would be glad to have a time agreement.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. It is all right with me. But the Senator from Washington would have to give his approval because his bill, the Labor-HEW appropriation bill, will be set aside, and the only reason was to accommodate the Senator from Alaska who may have to be away on Saturday.
If the Senator from Washington would have no objection—
Mr. MUSKIE. I would be willing to have a time agreement.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. — to the Senator from Maine also calling up his amendment on Friday to the export bill.
Mr. MAGNUSON. I am just wondering how long the export bill will take. I understood it was to be just a temporary matter, disposed of very quickly, and the amendment from the Senator from Alaska. Then we would go back to HEW.
We may be finished on HEW. I hope we can, but I doubt it. Then we will go on.
But we are going to go on with the HEW bill until it is finished this week. Is that correct?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. MAGNUSON. All right.
Mr. MUSKIE. I understand. I would be willing to take a time limitation.
Mr. MAGNUSON. I have no objection to the Senator from Maine, but what is the time limitation? What would be the time limitation?
Mr. MUSKIE. An hour.
Mr. MAGNUSON. All right.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. There is already a time agreement on the bill, may I say to the distinguished Senator from Maine, which would, I think, allow 1 hour on any amendment.
Mr. MUSKIE. All right. That is agreeable.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. If the distinguished Senator from Washington has no objection to allowing the Senator from Maine to call up his amendment to that bill on Friday, I would make that request.
Mr. MAGNUSON. Well, I have no objection, if the Senate will get to work tomorrow and finish the HEW bill, and get it over with. But I have no objection if there is a time limitation.
Mr. MUSKIE. I thank the Senator.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I thank the Chair and I thank all Senators.