this effort that Senator Grassley and I have pursued for many months has been endorsed by a number of groups that are seeking to try to make the U.S. Senate more open in the way it conducts its business. Common Cause, for example, is an…

I offer this amendment today on behalf of myself and Senator Grassley of Iowa. Mr. President, one of the most significant personal powers of a U.S. Senator is the power to effectively block the consideration of a bill or nomination from…

included in the manager's amendment is an amendment, I am pleased to cosponsor this amendment with my colleague, Senator Smith, to provide an additional tool in the toolbox, if you will, for rural counties who have come under significant…

as a cosponsor of the Reed amendment, I want to explain why the Senate should restore $35 million to the State Student Incentive Grant [SSIG] program. First, SSIG funds go directly to the students, not to Federal bureaucrats or…

The resolution also contains a condition on the use of supporting aids and services where such use would place a significant difficulty or expense on the operations of the Senate. Is my understanding correct that this undue burden language…

I take the floor tonight to discuss a resolution that I have introduced with Senator Warner to permit individuals with disabilities full access to the floor of the U.S. Senate. I believe that this resolution will be approved later tonight…

I commend particularly Senator Byrd and Senator Kerry for their leadership in this area and say I come to the floor as a U.S. Senator from a State that is the first State in the country to put mandatory limits on carbon dioxide, the…

My last point is we know, for example, that properly managed forests are a cost-effective alternative to end-of-pipe emission controls or carbon taxes. There are alternatives out there. My home State has shown they can work, and I thank…

the position of Assistant Attorney General for Anti-Trust is one of the most critical to assuring American consumers enjoy the benefits of competition. The decisions made by the individual who holds this title affect billions of dollars…

I just rise for a few moments to discuss the role of Egypt in the Middle East process. I think we all understand the dream of peace in the Middle East is going to take courage, patience and commitment from all of the countries in the…

I wish to thank the managers of the Department of Defense authorization bill and the committees for their assistance and support of my amendment. Earlier this year, the Senate ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention. This historic treaty…

Mr. President, when these tragedies occur, the first question must be: What can be done for the families of the victims, and how can it be possible to make sure that these tragedies do not happen in the future to the sons and daughters of…

this amendment allows several States to go forward with some of the most innovative work being done in health care in America--in Senator McCain's State and my own, several others. This amendment is budget neutral, but in our home State of…

I think it is clear what some of the opponents of the Kennedy-Hatch legislation are trying to offer the Senate. They are saying that the Kennedy-Hatch bill, a health insurance program for vulnerable kids that pays for itself, is a bad…

All children should have access to a quality education, regardless of whether they have disabilities. The importance of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] is that it enables parents to acquire special educational…

last month, I talked about the importance of the innovative ``Community Justice'' model for juvenile justice being developed in Deschutes County and Multnomah County, OR. Today, Senators Domenici and Ashcroft and I are introducing…

the people of Oregon have firsthand knowledge of the dangers of chemical weapons. Stored at the chemical weapons depot at Umatilla in the eastern part of my State are millions of pounds of chemical weapons. Mustard gas and nerve gas sit in…

and colleagues, watching Ms. Shea enter the Chamber today makes me feel very proud. It is a good day for the Senate because ensuring equal access to opportunity is what the U.S. Senate is all about. Ms. Shea has been assisting my office in…

Transportation of defense- and commercial-grade nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste is a great concern to the people of Oregon. Virtually every shipment to and from the Department of Energy's Hanford site requires at least 200…

I thank my colleagues. Mr. President, some believe that the Senate is fulfilling its obligations under the Americans With Disabilities Act if they provide someone to accompany Ms. Shea to the Senate floor. But let me say that an unknown…

the resolution that I submit today would change the Senate rules that deny floor access to those individuals who are visually impaired and need to use guide dogs to carry out their official duties. By denying floor access to Ms. Shea and…

I hope our colleagues will oppose the Bingaman amendment. This is not a question of ``not in my backyard'' run rampant. In fact, Hanford is in the State of Washington. It is not in the State of Oregon. The reason that it is important to…

I care greatly about this because there is already more high-level nuclear waste now stored at Hanford than at any other Federal facility in the Nation. There is no place in the United States where nuclear materials are stored under worse…

I believe there is a unique window of opportunity now for action, a window built around the proposition that our economy is moving forward in a positive way. Certainly, we are a few years away from the demographic earthquake that is…

I have come to the floor each day this week to talk about what I think is the critical need for the Senate to develop a bipartisan plan to reform Medicare. Medicare is a lifeline for millions and millions of American families, and I think…