Max Baucus: “let me take a few moments to review where we are on this legislation. First, I don't want to sound melodramatic but this…”

“let me take a few moments to review where we are on this legislation. First, I don't want to sound melodramatic but this is an important bill. This bill would help to create and keep good manufacturing jobs where they should be; that is, in America. We need to move this bill. The Senate conducted 3 days of debate on the bill, one of them a Monday without rollcall votes, and this is our fourth day on the bill. In that time, we might say, the Senate has considered and adopted a good number of amendments. Let me just list them. We have adopted, first, the managers' amendment on leasing shelters; the managers' amendment making modifications to the revenue provisions; the committee substitute. We have also adopted the Bingaman amendment to expand the research credit; the Hatch-Murray amendment to extend the research and development credit. We have further adopted the McConnell amendment to protect American workers; the McCain amendment on defense; the Dodd amendment to protect American workers; the Bayh amendment to extend expiring provisions; the Bunning amendment to extend the net operating loss carryover provision; and the Bunning-Stabenow amendment to accelerate the phase-in of the manufacturing deduction. That is quite a bit. A lot of legislation adopted, amendments passed already.”