Orrin Hatch: “I appreciate much of what the distinguished Senator from Connecticut has said with regard to this bill. He is right on.…”

“I appreciate much of what the distinguished Senator from Connecticut has said with regard to this bill. He is right on. I do not agree with him that he should not vote for cloture on this matter because he knows, we all know, if we do not get cloture, this bill is not going to make it. The Senate is used to having nongermane, irrelevant--nonrelevant amendments foreclosed in order to get legislation passed. We all know unless we foreclose that, this legislation is never going to see the light of day. That is what we have been putting up with now for 6 years. To come on the floor today, as some have, and indicate that the Senate is going to be broken if we proceed on this bill in a way that permits only germane amendments and with one nongermane amendment which those on the other side have wanted for months, and which I think the majority leader was willing to give them, is not shooting straight, as far as I am concerned. As everybody knows, we have worked 6 years on this bill; 62 people signed off on this bill as prime cosponsors. We lost on cloture by one vote last time, one solitary vote.”