Mr. President, I object to my friend's request with the following explanation: We have worked very hard to get this bill done. This is a committee of which the Senator from Maine was chairman. She is now the ranking member. This legislation--underline this--is extremely important. It has done in the past wonderful things for our country. This innovation that this bill allows to go forward has created things such as the electric toothbrush and many other things. It is a good piece of legislation. The legislation of my friend from Maine is not relevant or germane to this legislation. What is going to happen--if she objects to the request I have offered, this bill will not go forward. And that is too bad. We have worked all week long--in fact, some into last week--trying to get these amendments cleared and agreed to. The sad part about her amendment is that we cannot get agreement not only from our side but on her side. Without going into detail who they are, people do not want to do this amendment because it has no direct relevance to this legislation. In addition to that, Mr. President, her legislation has not had a hearing. It is something that is a big bill not only in content but in pages, and it should have a hearing. Senators should know what they are voting on in more detail. The other amendments we have gone through have been perused very closely and people understand what is in them and people can vote intelligently on those.…
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