those who have followed the proceedings of the Senate over the last 2 weeks understand we have been debating changes in the Tax Code. The two changes we have focused on are changes in the estate tax and changes in what is known as the…

there are 44 million Americans without health insurance. Among uninsured workers, most of them work for small businesses. This amendment creates a tax credit for small businesses which will offer health insurance for their employees. The…

this amendment which we offer is one that was debated last night on the floor of the Senate. It is very straightforward. If we are to go forward with a national missile defense system, we should have honest, realistic testing, including…

I also tell my colleagues, I had the good fortune, in preparing for the debate, to go through a classified briefing and also to meet with Director Philip Coyle, who is in charge of Operational Test and Evaluation at the Department of…

The Senator has made reference to the fact this is going to be an open, public process by this advisory committee. In the Senator's amendment, there is no reference to any public meeting by this committee. On page 2, line B(3), there is a…

why do we test? We test so we can justify the taxpayers of America the expenditure of their hard-earned money in the defense of our country, to make certain that the expenditure is made in a way that we can stand and be proud of it…

let me say in conclusion on this amendment that I have the highest respect for my friend from New Mexico. I often wonder why each year I decide to take on the chairman of the Budget Committee, and the powerful Appropriations Committee…

I thank Senator Byrd and Senator Gorton for their fine work on this Interior appropriations bill. I think I have expressed the feelings of many Members of the Senate that this is a spending bill that is near and dear to our hearts. It…

what we are going to discuss this evening is one of the most expensive, and perhaps one of the most important, elements in our Nation's national defense. We are going to discuss the national missile defense system. The reason for its…

As I mentioned earlier, the issue before the Senate is the Republican proposal to abolish the estate tax. This is a tax which is paid by less than 2 percent of the people who die in America. Those who pay it are in the very highest income…

The H-1B visa is a request by many people in private industry to increase the number of those who can come into the United States by the tens of thousands to fill well-paying, highly skilled jobs. The argument of these businesses is that…

We are dealing with an estate tax that affects very few Americans--people in higher income categories. The decision has been made by the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives and the Senate that if we are going to change…

The estate tax has been around, I think, since President Theodore Roosevelt in the last century. It is a source of revenue for the Federal Government that is imposed on the estates of some people after they pass away. It is the position of…

I think the Senator hit the nail on the head. What the Republicans are prepared to do is spend our surplus by providing tax breaks for the wealthy people in this country. The Senator and I happen to see it differently. We believe we can…

The Democratic alternative to change the estate tax would increase the exemption from $1.3 million per couple to $2 million per couple by 2002, and to $4 million per couple by 2010; meaning, if your estate is at $4 million, in the year…

Is the Senator telling me we could give estate tax reform, virtually exempt all family farms, all small businesses--say your business is worth $8 million or less; you are not going to pay a tax on it; families with assets of $4 million…

If the Republicans have their way to totally repeal the estate tax for the wealthiest in America and take $750 billion out of the surplus for that purpose, doesn't that diminish the likelihood, doesn't that reduce the possibility, that we…

I rise today today with my colleagues, Senators DeWine, Fitzgerald, Kerry, Bingaman, Schumer and Abraham to offer this critical amendment to increase funding for childhood asthma programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

the situation we saw yesterday is clear evidence that we are in the campaign season. Instead of dealing with issues that many of us think are critical for families, such as prescription drugs and gun safety legislation, we are instead…

we have just learned within the last few minutes that a decision has been made on Capitol Hill to eliminate the Summer Jobs Program for this year. That decision was made by Republican leaders who have decided that it costs too much--$40…

in a short time, we are going to have two votes that will define the difference in values between the two political parties in this Chamber. For 2 or 3 years now, President Clinton has been calling for a prescription drug benefit under…

Sunday afternoon, 3 days ago, I was in southern Colombia in a Blackhawk helicopter. We spent an hour going over the treetops of a jungle and looking down. A general from the Colombian army was pointing out to me the fields of coca plants…

Third, does the Senator's amendment require every military hospital and every doctor in those hospitals to involve themselves in abortion procedures if it violates their own personal conscience or religious belief?

Is it my understanding that the Senator's amendment is offering to women who are serving in the military the same constitutional right available to every woman in America?

Secondly, is it my understanding that if a woman in the military wants to seek an abortion, the Senator's amendment says it would have to be at her cost completely, not at any cost to the Federal Government?