Cord Byrd: “Yes, it was. Mr. President, if I may respond to the distinguished Senator. The amendment I offered to the legislation…”

“Yes, it was. Mr. President, if I may respond to the distinguished Senator. The amendment I offered to the legislation that was being proposed by Mr. Lieberman in his committee, the language I offered with several cosponsors and supporters, such as the distinguished Senator from Maryland, Mr. Sarbanes, would have provided for the recommendations of the administration to come back to the Congress periodically--every 4 months, for the next 12 months--which recommendations would have to do with the phasing in of the various and sundry agencies, a few at a time, three times, every 120 days. Some of the agencies would be phased in. Those recommendations would come back to the Congress and would go to the appropriate committees having jurisdiction--in this case it would be Mr. Lieberman's committee and his committee's counterpart in the House of Representatives--and expedited procedures would require that committee to act to bring out a bill implementing those recommendations, or amending them or changing them. Then the Senate, under expedited procedures, would proceed to call up that bill and pass it. That would be done three times. So the amendment which the distinguished Senator from Maryland refers to would provide for a phased-in approach over the same period of time that is going to be utilized by the President and the Secretary under this bill--namely, 12 months--and over that same period of time a phased-in approach with Congress still in the mix.…”