in a few moments I will have a very brief statement about what went on with the vote on the asbestos bill, but for our colleagues, I wish to outline where we are going tonight and over the next several days. Calendar No. 360, S. 2271, is…

I modify my unanimous consent request, that there now be 3 hours minus 20 minutes--2 hours 40 minutes--for debate with the times as designated.

discussions have proceeded since this morning on the point of order and the motion to waive the point of order, and we have come to an agreement whereby we will have a vote sometime around 6 o'clock tonight. I ask unanimous consent that…

I switched my vote from a ``yes'' to a ``no'' vote. Without my switching the vote, it would have been 59 to 40. We have one absentee tonight, and that may well have determined which way this particular vote had gone. Thus, I switched my…

when we return to the asbestos bill later today, we have the motion to waive pending, and we will be talking to the two managers this morning to determine the best time for that vote to occur today. Having said that, we are going to have a…

with respect to the vote we took minutes ago on the asbestos legislation, it does mean that legislation is, in essence, off the floor now, and that we are proceeding with the consideration of the PATRIOT Act, although we have an…

what we have just done is greatly simplify the course of the votes over the course of the morning. We will have three rollcall votes following the voice votes. I appreciate both sides of the aisle working together, condensing 14 motions…

this morning we will start a series of votes on motions to instruct conferees with respect to the tax relief bill. There could be up to as many as 16 votes on these motions and, therefore, votes will be kept to 10 minutes in length. I hope…

each day, 74 people receive an organ transplant. And each day, another 18 patients die waiting. While it doesn't get a lot of public attention, for every family who struggles with the pain and uncertainty of waiting for that life saving…

these votes would occur on Wednesday. We are still working on the time during Tuesday's session for the vote on the motion to waive. We will announce that when it is locked in. I ask that there be a period for morning business. The…

if this is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order. There being no objection, the Senate, at 9:58 p.m., adjourned until Tuesday, February 14…

in brief response, as I outlined, we are ready pretty soon to go to the PATRIOT Act. I agree, the negotiations which have taken place under the leadership of the Presiding Officer have gone smoothly, and I think we are going to have an…

this week, we are beginning with the House message on the Taxpayer Relief Act. This bill passed the Senate on February 2 by a vote of 66 to 31. The House has appointed conferees, and we are now taking up that message to appoint Senate…

today, I would briefly like to recount the details of a troubling series of events that resulted in the capture of four Americans, one of whom was executed, in the jungles of Colombia. I recently received word of this story from a special…

through the Chair in response, it really depends on how many of these motions we have. They are coming from the Democratic side of the aisle, and although a list has been provided, how many actually will require a vote--I would think we…

today, we will have a brief period of morning business before we resume consideration of S. 852, the asbestos bill. Although Members may come down and make statements relative to the bill, there are going to be no rollcall votes today, as…

Very briefly in response, this is an important bill that, again, is not a partisan bill at all. If you look at the votes today, you will see the split is between each caucus. I say that because so many bills come to the floor as partisan…

With the authority of the majority of the Judiciary Committee, I withdraw the committee amendments, and I send a substitute amendment to the desk. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The committee amendments are withdrawn. Amendment No. 2746 The…

I now ask consent that all after the enacting clause be stricken, the text of S. 662, as amended, be inserted in lieu thereof, and the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, and the Senate insist on its amendment, request a…

the Senate has been on the asbestos bill since Monday. Tomorrow, we will complete a full week of debate and consideration of this very important bill which, as has been said again and again, is a bill that addresses the fact that 150,000…

over the last several weeks and months, we have run into a situation where executive nominations are brought to the floor, but they are being held up for a final vote for reasons that are totally unrelated to those individuals and the…

a little later this morning, after we conclude our 30 minutes of morning business, we will return to the consideration of S. 852, the asbestos legislation. When that bill is laid before us this morning, amendments will be in order…

President, I would like to take a moment to comment on the passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. Today's passage of S. 662 is a first step towards meaningful postal reform. The Postal Service forms a crucial part of the…

I understand that an objection would be put forward from the other side of the aisle. Mr. President, I move that the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of Calendar No. 309. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will…

I have been stating that we have been prepared to consider some of the additional nominations that are on the Executive Calendar and are available for consideration. There are a number of nominations being held up for one reason or…