Byron Dorgan: “let me, in just the 10 minutes that I am allotted, make a comment about the amendment offered by Senator Bumpers and…”

“let me, in just the 10 minutes that I am allotted, make a comment about the amendment offered by Senator Bumpers and also to comment about the underlying bill. Senator Bumpers offers an amendment that I think is very important and one that I intend to vote for and feel is a good amendment. The bill brought to the floor of the Senate, in its original form when it was passed out of the Commerce Committee, was totally unacceptable to me. I voted against it, worked against it, and felt its provisions were counterproductive. But since that time, the Senator from Oregon, Senator Wyden, Senator McCain, I, and others, have worked together; and the bill that will now be presented--I believe changed also by the managers' amendment--is a piece of legislation that has merit. But I think the legislation will be improved by the amendment offered by the Senator from Arkansas as well. This legislation is called the Internet Tax Freedom Act. And all of us understand that the information superhighway and new technology mean that commerce in this country is changing.”