Dan Coats: “I join the Senator from Connecticut in saying I think the Senator's efforts are laudable. I do think, as the Senator…”

“I join the Senator from Connecticut in saying I think the Senator's efforts are laudable. I do think, as the Senator from Vermont has enumerated, there is a lot of language in this bill which I think reflects what the Senator from New Mexico and the Senator from Mississippi are attempting to do, yet it does it in an encouraging way rather than a penalizing way. Given the fact there is a lot of confusion about how this amendment applies to these States, and there is no way we could determine that this evening, I wonder if the Senator wouldn't be interested in withdrawing his amendment--at least working with us to try to accomplish these goals, but not in a way that puts us in a position where we will penalize our State.”