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Max Baucus is a former U.S. Senator from Montana, serving from 1978 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Baucus was known for his work on health care reform and tax policy. He played a significant role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act and was a key advocate for various economic initiatives during his tenure. Baucus also served as the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where he influenced legislation related to taxation and trade. After leaving the Senate, he was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to China, where he focused on strengthening U.S.-China relations.
I might also note that last week when we were working out an arrangement to allocate dollars in the Byrd-Gramm-Warner-Baucus amendment the mass transit folks were going berserk; they were all upset that they were not 'taken care of'. As we…
isn't it true that the Finance Committee amendment is very important to this bill because that is the amendment which will extend the current gasoline tax that is going to transfer the funds into the trust fund and, therefore, to other…
I concur. It is the committee's intention that his program be carried out in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution. We expect no less. Secretary Slater is aware of, and I am assured agrees with, our views on this matter.
Mr. President, we had a good debate yesterday. I want to emphasize a couple of points. First, with all due respect, the argument that the Supreme Court has ruled that this program is unconstitutional and that we now have a duty to expunge…
Mr. President, this obviously is a very important debate. It is the first civil rights debate we have had in a long time. It is very important that the Senate take this extremely seriously because it is such an important matter. It goes to…
That is a very good point, particularly as to how much this has helped women become an equal force in this society--or getting there. Third, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program works. After the program went into effect, the…
Here is another letter signed by many law school professors. I see 40 or 50, I don't know. They have the same conclusion--that the district court's decision in Colorado was wrong; that is, that the program is narrowly tailored and is…
I want to ruminate about this concept of quotas and goals. First of all, nobody likes quotas. They are rigid, they are unforgiving, they are almost insulting. The DBE program does not use quotas; it uses goals. Now, some say the goal is 10…
I want to just make a couple of points here. One, I will reiterate a point made by Senator Chafee. We, in the Senate, have received a letter from the Secretary of Transportation, Rodney Slater, who said he would find it difficult to…
the Senator from Oregon has brought a very valuable addition to the NEPA process. Most of us, when we deal with the National Environmental Policy Act with respect to projects, believe that the policy is right; that is, that environmental…
I might say it is another example of the cooperation and compromise. Often Senators stand up on the floor, and, I might say, speak rhetorically, knowing that they are not going to get the results but trying to score points back home. These…
In the underlying bill, 10 percent of the money is used for things such as research, emergency relief for natural disasters and administrative costs. That 10 percent is not counted in the calculation of the State's share. But this is not a…
Once we get this legislation passed, we are out of the pony express era because we will have current data, data reflecting how many miles people travel in their State, lane miles, vehicle miles, et cetera. That is a formula based on the…
This amendment on behalf of the Senator from California, Mrs. Boxer would expand the current research programs to include how telecommuting and other technological and economic changes can affect travel. I believe this is a good amendment…
I say to my friend, of the amounts apportioned to the States, the goal is to give States 91 percent of their percent share of contributions to the highway trust fund.
this is a happy day, because it was not too long ago here that, after the EPA announced new standards for ozone and small particulates, there was going to be a huge uproar in the Senate and there would be a big battle over whether or not…
I might remind the Senator of several facts which substantiate his point. No. 1, the current highway program is based on very dated data. It is based on the 1980 census. We even have in here the 1916 postal road formula--that is in the…
In fact, in a nutshell, we believe it is only fair to the American people that a portion of the gasoline tax that goes to the trust fund be allocated to the States. We took that amount, 3.45 cents, and essentially allocated it according to…
may I say, as chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee, that the answer is yes. In fact, currently there are a good number of States--so-called ``donor'' States--which contribute more to the highway trust fund than they receive in terms…
Maybe one solution here--there is no perfect solution. Maybe one solution might be to vote on this amendment, and Senators who have concerns about this amendment can state them, that is, they are voting for it kind of on reservation or…
If I might ask my good friend, the chairman of the committee, Senator Chafee, wouldn't it also be a good idea for Senators who are interested in an amendment that might be offered by Senator McConnell, with respect to the disadvantaged…
The amendment that has been agreed to, first, is a significant amendment. It is an increase of about $26 billion in contract authority over 6 years, from $145 billion to about $171 billion for highway programs, plus about $2 billion for…
we all want to protect wetlands, and we know when highways are constructed that wetlands are often in jeopardy. It is in the law that when a highway is constructed which does jeopardize a wetland, an offset must be provided for; that is…
I compliment the chairman for his graciousness, his hard work, his dedication to public service. I think the citizens of Rhode Island already know this, but for those who may not know it, or are wondering, I would like, to them and the…
I rise today to once again make the case for comprehensive campaign finance reform. Today, the Senate has a great opportunity. The McCain-Feingold legislation is a step in the direction of campaign finance reform. Make no mistake, despite…
Politicians like Max Baucus
