We have encouraged others to give up their landmines. We have done this around the world, as we should. In the Ottawa Treaty, no; in fact, in the Ottawa Treaty, when it was being negotiated in Oslo, the United States came in at the last…

I too am concerned that providing military assistance to the Baltic nations with the expressed intent to accelerate their membership into NATO is premature and should not prejudice consideration for their membership into NATO when a…

It is the policy of the U.S. Government to sign the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction as soon as practicable. That is a convention that has now…

I will just respond briefly. Is the Senator speaking of holding onto landmines that the Joint Chiefs have already said they are prepared to give up? Command detonated landmines are still available. We use those in Korea and elsewhere…

I support the pending amendment. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss with the subcommittee chairman, Senator McConnell, his amendments to modify section 540(b) and section 752(a) of the bill, modifications which…

Mr. President, organizations such as the National Telephone Cooperative Association are able to help provide new and innovative methods to bring modern telecommunications service to rural and remote areas around the globe. Such…

Thank you. I would like to take another minute to ask the subcommittee chairman about section 572(a) of the bill, which makes funds available for certain environmental activities subject to the regular notification procedures of the…

last year we completed debate on the foreign operations bill in record time. This year the bill contains $250 million less than last year, so I hope it will take even less time. The bill represents a delicate compromise. As I said, we have…

this summer we are being treated to an exceptional season of baseball, from the record breaking pace of the New York Yankees and the resurgence of the Boston Red Sox, to a number of inspiring individual achievements, including the perfect…

I am pleased that after many months of debate, the Senate has finally passed S. 1360 today. This bill, "The Border Improvement and Immigration Act of 1998," will ensure that free trade and tourism continue to flourish along our nation's…

there are maybe thirty-five legislative days left this Congress. We have passed six out of thirteen appropriations--and those have been the easier ones. Now--we are facing the appropriations bills that are bogged down with legislative…

Any time we speak of juvenile justice, there are, obviously, emotional issues that come up, as there was on this. But I believe the Senate has voted the proper way on the motion of the distinguished senior Senator from New Hampshire to…

I oppose Senator McCain's amendment, originally introduced as S. 1619, to require schools and libraries wired with federal funds to install Internet filtering software. Congress has wisely seen fit to make the Internet widely available to…

I have been concerned for several months that consideration of this nomination was being unnecessarily delayed. I am encouraged that Senator Moynihan's evaluation of this judicial nomination for the longstanding vacancy in the Second…

I have spoken previously on my concerns about the ongoing threats from mercury pollution to the lands, rivers and lakes of Vermont and the rest of the country. I sponsored a Senate Resolution that called on the Administration to release…

I am here once again to talk about S. 507, the Omnibus Patent Act of 1997. On this date back in 1878, a gentleman named Thaddeus Hyatt was granted a patent for reinforced concrete. Now, 120 years later, the Senate is refusing to reinforce…

I raise the visibility of a little-known, but praiseworthy, program--the Nutrition Education and Training Program. I am speaking today in defense of this program, which now seems to be on life-support, and in dire need of resuscitation…

earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit decided United States v. Singleton, in which it found that the prosecutor had violated the federal gratuity statute and a state ethics rule by entering a plea agreement with a…

These are important issues that can and should be addressed separately from the immediate need for encryption legislation that protects privacy and confidentiality.

I agree, the announcement by the high-tech companies of alternative means of access to plaintext to encrypted data demonstrates industry's commitment to find solutions that accommodate law enforcement interests. It also reiterates the need…

Encryption technology is not only a critical tool for protecting the confidentiality of our online communications and the privacy of our stored electronic information, it is also the building block for digital signatures. The future of…

While digital signature legislation at the Federal level may help encourage the development of online commercial transaction rules, we must be careful not to stifle the development of efficient and inexpensive digital signature services by…

For all their professed commitment to federalism, congressional Republicans frequently seem eager to pass laws dumping quintessentially local matters into federal courts. The latest such effort is the Property Rights Implementation Act of…

I am amazed on this issue. I look at the schedule set by the distinguished Speaker of the House, and we have so very few legislative days remaining that now we have this as a top priority--a bill to strip zoning and land use decisions from…

I was delighted to join with Senator DeWine during National Crime Victims Rights Week in April to introduce S. 1976, the Crime Victims with Disabilities Awareness Act. I was glad to welcome Senator Kennedy, Senator Hatch, Senator Kohl…