I am having some difficulty--because of the conversations taking place elsewhere in the Chamber--following the distinguished manager's remarks. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will be in order.

yesterday, in anticipation of the unanimous consent agreement, the Senator from Virginia, joined by the Senator from Michigan, Mr. Levin, the managers and chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, filed an amendment…

at this time, I insert the defense of germaneness, and I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. At this moment, there is not a sufficient second.

there are no two individuals in the Senate today that have a finer reputation for Senatorial courtesy and for the need for our national defense legislation than the two managers of the appropriations bill, the Senators from Alaska and…

this is a matter that I have discussed with the managers of the bill as well as, on several occasions, our distinguished Republican and Democratic leaders. On behalf of Senator Levin and myself, I file today the 2006 authorization bill…

parliamentary inquiry: It is my understanding we are on the bill for appropriations for our defense purposes under the management of the distinguished Presiding Officer. Am I correct? The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator is correct, the…

By way of historical context, I would like to point out the following: There is an unbroken record for the last 45 years of Senate history that the Senate has passed an annual Defense authorization bill. The Senate and House have come to a…

I join the distinguished majority leader and others who have spoken on behalf of the President's nomination of a very distinguished member of the bar of the State of Texas and, indeed, the profession of law all across America, where she…

I rise to make a floor statement on behalf of a member of our Senate family. I, like so many other Senators, come into a particular entrance here in the Senate as I drive in in the morning. I rise today to pay tribute to Officer Lonnie…

I rise to introduce the Outer Continental Shelf Revenue Sharing Act of 2005. Earlier this year, the Congress passed a bill, and the President signed it into law. It is the first comprehensive energy package in over a decade. Great strides…

if I might say, the distinguished Senator from Nebraska was a leader among the Gang of 14. I say to the Senator, I guess you might say you were one of the ``Founding Fathers'' of that group, and modesty prevents you from acknowledging that…

That is correct. I see one of my distinguished colleagues rising to be the floor manager of this period of time, but he very courteously said I could open up, if that is approved by the Chair. Mr. President, as I said, it is a great honor…

as we face an uncertain future as it relates to terrorism and the use of weapons of mass destruction, I have some thoughts with regard to this law which was passed in 1878 which restricts in certain ways--and the predicate for doing so is…

--you and your fellow Senators from the three States most grievously affected. If you wait a minute, I will give you the following figures. Today, more than 72,000 members of the Armed Forces have been deployed to the Gulf Coast, including…

I am going to follow on with some greater detail about, as you say, the extraordinary participation of the men and women of the Armed Forces and, indeed, the Coast Guard, which is separate from my report that will be included with others…

I rise to recognize and pay tribute to GEN Louis Hugh Wilson, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, 26th Commandant of the Corps. General Wilson was the embodiment of everything the Marine Corps and our Nation stands for. I am honored to read the…

Indeed, the gun industry does play a crucial role in helping to equip the men and women of our Armed Forces. Companies like Beretta U.S.A., Colt Manufacturing, and others supply a host of weapons and small arms that are vital to our…

If I may make a brief reply, I thank my colleague from Rhode Island. I think the managers are working on this situation. I am glad that my amendment is part of the consideration, and I just hope it is granted. As far as the business of the…

I thank the Chair. So I have here an amendment that is clearly germane. I regret deeply that I am not able to bring it up such that I and other Senators could debate it and have a rollcall vote, which I would ask for, and if granted, we…

I would like to reply to my good friend. The Senator is absolutely correct about the reporting requirements, but the reality is that some dealers ignore those requirements. They are totally unscrupulous, negligent, and ignore them. The…

I have now had the opportunity to review the Frist amendment, No. 1606. This amendment simply restates that the Attorney General of the United States can continue to enforce current Federal firearms laws against those who violate them…

From the outset, let me make it clear I have long been a supporter of tort reform. I believe the proliferation of baseless lawsuits and runaway jury awards is having a profound negative effect on many Americans, and indeed on the American…

I so amend my request to the Presiding Officer for the purpose of filing the amendment. I marvel at the parliamentary situation of the managing of this bill. Perhaps if I had done something similar, I would now be on the Defense bill. But…

Then I yield to the wisdom of the Presiding Officer and the Parliamentarian and at some point in time that judgment can be made. I yield the floor to my good friend.

The costs incurred by the gun industry in defending these lawsuits is staggering. Indeed, the costs are so great that Beretta USA, an American company that supplies weapons for the U.S. Armed Forces, has written to me claiming that their…