Kit Bond: “I apologize to my cosponsor and to my colleagues. I am a victim of travel problems on Monday. My flight was canceled…”

“I apologize to my cosponsor and to my colleagues. I am a victim of travel problems on Monday. My flight was canceled; thus, my delayed arrival. I apologize for delaying the work of the Senate. But speaking of delays, Mr. President, this is a matter that has been delayed far too long. We have been trying to get legislation enacted which will provide for reforms in the Fair Credit Reporting Act. And today I think we are very close to a workable compromise. I particularly commend my colleague, Senator Bryan, for his strong leadership on S. 783, the Consumer Reporting Reform Act of 1994, because without it, quite frankly, we would not be here today. Through his efforts, I believe we have reached a bipartisan agreement on a bill that was anything but bipartisan from the beginning. Senator Bryan has worked tirelessly to bring competing, opposing and disparate interests together to reach a compromise. I commend him, and I congratulate him for his efforts. I also want to express thanks to our ranking Republican member on the Banking Committee, Senator D'Amato, for his support and willingness to make this a bipartisan effort. Again, we could not have been here today without his hard work. Obviously, commendations are due the chairman, Senator Riegle, for granting this bill its day in court. I believe it is a true testament to his leadership that we have been able to reach agreement on what has, in the past, been such a contentious piece of legislation.”