this is rather technical, but it has to do with public housing authorities and their ability to use future Section 8 vouchers on project-based assistance needs. As many know, in the past public housing was constructed when the assistance…

this is an amendment to reform the judiciary's ability to procure things. It is a procurement authority. The amendment actually establishes greater parity for the judicial branch by giving it the same procurement authorities that were…

I have another technical amendment to offer at this time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The assistant legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Missouri [Mr. Bond] proposes an amendment numbered 2079.

here it is quarter to 6 on the day after this bill has come to the floor. We have had two votes on technical amendments. We have another technical amendment we can offer. But my colleagues have filed about 40 amendments. While there are…

the Transportation, Treasury, HUD, and related agencies bill is now back on the floor. At 11 o'clock it is my understanding that by previous order we will go to consideration of the DC appropriations bill, which will be included as a…

I had not intended to extend this wonderful discussion because we were trying to get amendments on the Treasury, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Judiciary bill. I invite people to come down and offer amendments. However…

it appears that action for the day on the Treasury, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies appropriations bill has come to a close. I ask once again that our colleagues be prepared to offer…

we are back on the Treasury-Transportation- Housing and Urban Development bill. The minority Member, my partner, Senator Murray, and I are ready to do business. I understand we are waiting for final negotiations from both sides on the…

I wish to keep this quorum call going, and then, after I propound the unanimous consent request, obviously the Senate can proceed in the normal fashion. This should be just a minute. I ask the Senator's indulgence. The PRESIDING OFFICER…

we are negotiating to get an agreement on procedure for tomorrow. We are very close. We want to line up the DC bill and then set a vote. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

after conferring with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I ask unanimous consent that at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Senator Brownback be recognized in order to offer an amendment which relates to the appropriations for the District of…

as my colleague and comanager of the bill, the Senator from Washington, has just stated, we are preparing to vote on an amendment that is a technical correction to the Housing and Community Act of 1987 to make sure that HUD has the…

I understand there is a previous order and a vote will occur at 5:30. Has that agreement been reached? The PRESIDING OFFICER. No formal agreement has been reached to that effect.

what my colleague from North Dakota has just talked about is one of the mind-boggling events that has all of us not only stumped but outraged. I believe it is long past due that we get tight control over how the money is being spent. As we…

We will hope to set that time as soon as we get concurrence from the leadership on both sides. With that, I will explain briefly what this amendment does. It revises section 421 of the Housing and Community Act of 1987 to clarify HUD's…

I clarify with the desk that I am shown on the Leahy amendment; it is the Leahy-Bond amendment? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is listed as a cosponsor.

one of the minor procedural problems we have around here with an emergency clause is this has to go through several layers of clearance. It is not a higher pay grade, it is a different pay grade, it is a different responsibility. The…

among the great responsibilities and privileges of being a Member of the U.S. Senate is assessing the qualifications and voting on the confirmation of members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Reflecting upon this vote, one gets a sense of the…

I thank the Chair. Nomination Of John Roberts Mr. President, while I have the floor, I will reflect a moment on the vote we took earlier today. This vote has such weight because of its place in our system of government. The Supreme Court…

I rise today to join wholeheartedly my National Guard Caucus cochairman, the distinguished Senator from Vermont, in urging the Senate to adopt these emergency appropriations for our National Guard. We have had a lot of talk about emergency…

we are all very busily working on appropriations bills, and we are working in committees as individuals and leaders on the terrible tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, and our hearts and our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims. We…

But more important, we cannot just play defense against the terrorists. We have to collect more and better information. We have to get information on the location and activities of the next attack that is being planned. Unless we do a good…

I believe that article says it all. Michael Graham's sampling of U.S. military personnel was random, varied, not controlled by the Pentagon. The sample may be small, but 100 troops believe in the war in Iraq and that we are going to win…

I rise briefly to say thank you, congratulations, and best wishes to an outstanding person, a truly remarkable jurist. That is, of course, Sandra Day O'Connor, who announced her retirement today. A lot of people can say many good things…

I think there is a clear difference. My colleague from Illinois has a political idea of a fuel standard and says that will increase efficiency. The difference is that the Bond- Levin approach relies on what is working and that is having…