I was going to do what the chairman of the full committee said, but I see our friend from Hawaii is here. We have already had a discussion of the commerce title. I am happy to defer to my colleague from Hawaii. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro…

I thank the chairman. I hope we can get on with it while our colleague is speaking. I hope other Members and staff will come to the floor and share their amendments and begin the discussion that is going to have to move very quickly if we…

this amendment unties the hands of States which were handcuffed by a provision added in committee last year and is still in the bill, a provision on which debate was cut short last year, but now we can finish the job, and I hope we will…

I thought I had the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri has the floor.

I am happy to work with the Senator from Colorado on the needs of his particular State. This measure before us would enable his State to spend more on bridges if that is the need but to require States to spend 5 percent more where in our…

obviously, my good friend, the Senator from Virginia, and I view this very differently. I will outline some of the differences we have. Let me clarify. The Senator from Virginia noted that the bill passed last year in the Senate with the…

I thank my colleagues. This particular mandate of the good Senator from Virginia is one that I don't like. He put in another mandate to increase funding for metropolitan planning organizations. If we could pass a Clear Skies bill, we…

I would like to respond and finish my presentation. Then we can get into a discussion.

All good things come to an end. I appreciate the comments. I was going to address the need for clean water, but my good friend from Virginia is saying we need to make this into a water bill. He said we need to fund local water projects for…

To conclude my opening comments, I would note that the administration, in its statement of policy, says: The inclusion of a mandatory 2-percent set-aside from the STP program to support a highway storm water mitigation program is opposed…

all of the labor organizations, the State highway officials, all of the groups that provide those funds strongly support my amendment and would oppose the motion to table of the Senator from Virginia.

there have been some new factors that have come out. In the interest of full disclosure, Missouri has moved up to fifth worst in roads and fourth worst in bridges. As I understand, Oklahoma still occupies a place of dishonor with even…

Well, the States are absolutely frustrated beyond all means that we have not been able to reauthorize the bill. Merely extending the bill does not enable us to go forward with major planning. The extensions keep existing projects in line…

my sincere thanks to the chairman of the committee, Senator Inhofe; to the ranking member, Senator Jeffords; and my colleague, the ranking member on the subcommittee, Senator Baucus. This is a job well done under the constraints we face…

I would like to ask the minority leader--I came down here to talk about the highway bill. Is it his understanding that we are on the highway bill?

I thank Chairman Roberts. As we all know, this February, President Bush nominated Ambassador John Negroponte to serve as the Nation's first Director of National Intelligence. I rise today in strong support of his confirmation for this…

I am happy to yield to my colleague from Maryland. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.

I appreciate the comments raised by the Senator from New Hampshire. As chairman of the new Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, and HUD, I understand this measure would fall within the general government…

I was pleased to hear the thought-provoking comments of the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. I thank him much for the work he has done there. Some of the things he said reminded me of an analogy to a totally…

yesterday I introduced, along with Senators Inhofe, Vitter, Warner, Voinovich, Isakson, Thune, Murkowski, Obama, Landrieu, Grassley, Harkin, Talent, Cornyn, Cochran, Domenici and Coleman, the 2005 Water Resources Development Act, S. 728…

I introduced S. 503, the Education Begins At Home Act. It is cosponsored by Senators Talent and DeWine. I invite my colleagues to look at it and join with me in this significant measure to improve early childhood education and development…

with approximately 45 million uninsured Americans, expanding access to quality, affordable health care should be a top priority for the Senate. We hear about the cost explosion that insurance companies are imposing on small businesses and…

One area that is extremely important is the enormous effort that is underway in Indonesia's mainstream, moderate Muslim population to promote a moderate, pluralistic, democratic Islam, both in Indonesia and throughout the region. Unlike…

in fact, the Prime Minister speaks eloquently about Hadhari Islam, meaning ``civilisation Islam,'' meaning religion should be directed toward good, toward progress and toward development--all consistent with the Tenets of Islam. The Prime…

today it is a real privilege for me to be able to report to my colleagues and the people of America on a magnificent relief effort underway in Indonesia, where the December 26, 2004, tsunami left over 115,000 confirmed deaths, with…