macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. may I say to the distinguished majority leader. not ungraciously. because he is always most gracious to me and to those on this side of the aisle. that we will attempt. on this side of the aisle. to see if those who have nongermane amendments would be willing to enter into time agreements and then we will come back and notify the majority leader.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. this amendment does correct these environmental hazards. Under the act. for abandoned mine land reclamation. fees are collected. so much per ton. It is placed in a fund. Part of it is a State portion. part of it a Federal portion. It. will be used to put unemployed miners back to work. There are surface miners that are well equipped to do the work. There are construction firms that are well equipped to do the work. It is not Federal money per se. it is paid into the fund for this purpose.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

The Federal Government should release some of the money. I ask the Senator to put my name on it as a cosponsor.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. a while ago. I wrote a letter concerning this matter to the distinguished ranking member of the Finance Committee and to the distinguished chairman. I introduced a bill at that time which would allow the chloralkalf industry. including a West Virginia plant. to modernize its electrolytic cells. which are used to produce raw materials for chemical feed stocks. It would also benefit a chloralkall modernization project which is now underway in Louisiana. I believe. The distinguished Senator from LouIslana is nodding in the affirmative. I have discussed this with the distinguished manager of the tax section of the bill and the ranking member. I believe iR meets with their approval. I therefore hope that they will accept the amendment.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I apologize to the Senator from Kansas for the interruption. but I think we should have order in the Senate. The Senator from Kansas asked for order. and we have not gotten it.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I announce that the Senator from Virginia . the Senator from California . the Senator from Arizona . the Senator from Missouri . the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. ExoN). the Senator from Ohio . the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. JoaNsToN). the Senator from Massachusetts . and the Senator from Mississippi . are necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from New York (Mr. Moynwx). is absent because of illness.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. may we have order in the Chamber. I would like to be able to see the manager of the bill as he proceeds.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I was going to ask whether it would be possible to switch them and have a vote on Levin first and then we would have no problem of disposing of it if there is a motion to reconsider.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I am delighted to cosponsor the amendment of the senior Senator from New Mexico. This amendment extends for 2 years the affirmative commitment rule of the energy tax credit for coal gasification. liquification. and oil shale. Under present law. the energy credIts would have expired at the end of 1982 for such projects whose engineering plans have not been approved in a timely fashion by the synfuels corporation. Rather than penalize these projects for delays beyond their control. this amendment would extend for 2 years the deadline so that they would continue to be eligible for the energy credits as they would have otherwise been under current law. It would be shortsighted to allow a temporary decline in energy prices and the recession to terminate these projects when it will be only a matter of time before we are again faced with rising energy prices and shortages. This amendment is an investment in this countrys energy future. I urge the Senates adoption of this amendment.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. the statement of the majority leader. the understanding of the maJority leader was that the live quorum would begin at 11 in accordance with a previous statement. notwithstanding the rule. That was his intention. because he had made that announcement. That was his. intention to stick with that.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. the Senate has acted twice on legislation to modify the judicial districts of West Virginia. There was a technical error in the legislation that was passed. By virtue of the fact that one of the counties was moved from the northern to the southern district and the language which pertained to the holding of courts did not also make the necessary change in the naming of one of the cities. that would also have to be removed. I introduce a bill at this time and ask unanimous consent that it may be .considered as having becn read the first and second times and the Senate proceed immediately to its consideration.
Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. with respect to the amendment yesterday dealing with natural gas pricing and contractual issues. I voted in favor of tabling a provision which would have had the effect of abrogating many natural gas supply contracts. It seemed evident that the confusion and the flood of litigation that would have followed in the wake of such a proposal made it an unworkable and impractical approach to a problem facing West Virginias residential and industrial gas customers. Further. gas producers in West Virginia and other States need the assurance that the legal contracts they hold will not be arbitrarily overturned. West Virginia gas consumers face rising natural gas prices despite adecrease in demand for gas. The crippling depression in my region of the country makes it very difficult for gas consumers to keep up with increasing gas prices. For that reason. I voted against a motion to table a provision that was intended to hold some natural gas prices at current levels for the next 2 years. Consumers in West Virginia deserve to have a chance for some relief from rapidly escalating gas bills. While the effectiveness of the proposal to hold some gas prices steady may be questionable in the short run. a deeper discussion of this proposal is warranted. I cosponsored the ExonMcClure resolution dealing with natural gas prices. supply contracts. and lowincome energy assistance. The resolution clearly express the will of the Senate that the Federal Energy Regulatory Comnmission use its full statutory authority to examine the effects of socalled takeorpay contracts on. gas producers. distributors. and consumers. I have exchanged correspondence with FERC Chairman Butler on this issue. He informs me that FERC is engaged in a detailed study of this complex contractual issue. The resolution reemphasizes to the FERC that the Senate. expects the Agency to take steps to prevent unfair and unreasonable burdens from being loaded onto gas consumers. Our longterm goal should be to encourage an adequate supply of natural gas at prices that are fair to both producers and consumers. The resolution also expresses the sense of the Senate that the lowincome energy assistance program should be funded at the highest possible level from available appropriations. People faced with rising gas bills. rising food and shelter prices. and the prospect of a cold winter. need and deserve help. Since food is an absolute necessity. some elderly and lowincome people have been forced into a choice of "heat or eat." This program. which the Congress has defended from several recent attempts at significant funding reduction. is necessary for the fundamental wellbeing of our rmo.t unfortunate citizens. 8S14932 Wednesday. December 15. 1982 Daily Digest
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. the majority leader earlier ordered that the Senate come in at 10 a.m. with the understanding that the quorum would begin at 11 a.m. After some Senators may have gone. the majority leader did bring forward the opening time to accommodate a Senator. I think we should proceed as the majority leader has indicated.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. can the distinguished majority leader give me assurance that nothing dealing with Radio Marti will be offered as an amendment to any of these measures?
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. my question to the majority leader about Radio Marti amendments was made on behalf of another Senator and does not necessarily indicate any viewpoint of my own on that.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the tab!e was agreed to.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. reserving the right to object. and I shall not object. this is a privileged motion. but I think with all due respect the Chair should give an opportunity for objection. whereupon. the leader could then move and that would be not debatable. But I think we are slipping into some ways that are rather careless. I would hope that we would at least ask if there is objection. If there is. then the leader can move. That is not debatable. At least that will give us an opportunity for a Member to object before the clerk states the message. Does the acting majority leader agree with me?
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Yes. Mr. President. I did. According to those stories. highly sensitive. classified information was apparently disclosed to memebers of the press as part of an effort by the administration to. I suppose. persuade the public and. perhaps. Members of Congress to support certain aspects of the defense program. I find it to be highly unusual. to say the least. I know the Senator from Delaware has done a great deal of work on the subject of classified information. and especially on the subject of leaks. both authorized and unauthorized. and I would like to ask him a question as to whether or not in his view the situation which occurred may have involved any violation of any of the laws of the United States which were designed to protect classified information.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I was somewhat nonplussed when I read the stories in the press. I was distressed. and I thank the Senator for raising that question. I think he is correct in having raised the question. I wonder if the Senator feels there should be any need for any investigation on the subject of who authorized the leaks. exactly what information was given out. and what the assessment of potential damage may be to our national security which might have resulted? I understand that this briefing. which was so cavalierly made as a briefing to the newspapers. was similar to the sensitive briefing which was conducted here in the Chamber by the full Senate in closed session some months ago. I recall that on that occasion. and on similar occasions. we took seriously the restrictions which are imposed upon us by the Senate Rules with respect to secrecy. The doors were shut. the galleries were closed. and virtually all of our staff experts were excluded. Admonitions were read to Members of the body. When I was the majority leader I read the admonition in each such instance from the book of rules to the body. and I think the majority leader. who is now of the other party. has done the same with respect to such sessions. and I daresay. so far as I have been able to determine. no word from that Senate secret briefing was ever disclosed to anyone outside the Chamber. Now we pick up the morning papers and read that much of that same information apparently was given to the press. In order that the record may be complete on this subject. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the newspaper articles to which I referred. one from the Washington Post under date of December 5. 1982. titled "Reporters Balk Over Briefing Pact." and another from the New York Times under date of December 15. 1982. titled "Reporters Balk at Secrecy Pledge. Pentagon. in Unusual Move. Asked Journalists To Sign Agreement on Briefing" be printed in the RECORD.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I would like to thank the Senator from Delaware for his legal assessment of the Issues involved. He has done a lot of good work on this subject in the past. I know that his feelings are highly respected. I wonder if the Senator from Delaware would comment on another facet of the situation which bothers me. and that is the apparent politicization by the Pentagon of the Intelligence process. I recall how often we have heard the stories about selected leaking during the Vietnam years and how the whole intelligence process was abused at that time. I have complained about such leaks to the press with respect to the Stealth aircraft and upon one occasion wrote to President Reagan to express my deep concern about the apparent leaks in that regard. and asked that the administration conduct an investigation of those leaks. and nothing ever came of the investigation in that instance. If we are witnessing selected briefing of the media In an effort to "sell" our Nations defense programs and we are seeing efforts to have the media sign off on secrecy requests. I think that the media has acted properly in balking at that request. I wonder if we have learned anything at all from the lessons of the past.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I thank the Senator. I. too. would like to hope he had no previous knowledge of it and I would hope that he would make an inquiry on his own. I would be happy to join with the Senator in writing to the President urging him to proceed with an investigation of this matter on his own. I should think he would be disturbed. he should be concerned. I suggest that the distinguished Senator draft a letter. and I will be glad to join in it. if he wishes. asking the President to proceed to inquire about the matter and conduct an investigation of his own as to how these things happened. They should not happen.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I thank the distinguished Senator from Kansas. the distinguished Senator from Michigan. and other Senators for their work in reaching this compromise. I think it Is a good compromise. I support it. I think it is a compromise that this Senate ought to accept.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. Presi- provision it is waivable under the landent. I yield the control on my side to guage just cited. Senator LONG. Mr. HARRY F. BYRD. JR. Parlia-
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. a very agreeable resolution has been reached on the amendment. I would hope when we vote on that amendment. the Senate will approve it. Now I hope we can get on about our business. Senators have the right to vote for the amendment or against the amendment. I think we ought to go ahead with our business and get the continuing resolution up and get out of here. I want to make clear that the Members on my side are ready to vote. We may have a few amendments. but we are ready to vote. Mr. President. we are ready to vote on this amendment. ready to enter into some kind of an agreement that will see final action on this bill as far as we are concerned. and get on with the continuing resolution. which will expire tomorrow night at midnight. May I say to the majority leader I am going to have a little meeting in a few minutes to get the consensus on this side of the aisle.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. if I have a couple of seconds left. I want to make it preeminently clear that there is no disposition on this side to filibuster this bill.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

So. immediately upon the disposition of the amendment by Mr. HEFLIN. the Senate will vote by rollcall on the Boschwitz amendment?
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. at the request of the majority leader. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess until the hour of 7:15 p.m. today.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I thank the distinguished majority leader for trying in his caucus. I know he did it in the utmost good faith. I have a feeling that he. himself. if he could have acted alone. would have accepted the proposal because it would have insured the enactment of the highway bill this evening and proceeding immediately to the continuing resolution. I can very well understand his situation. I hope that. as the evening wears on. the distinguished majority leader would continueand I say this respectfully and certainly with no desire to be presumptuousthat he continue to consult with his colleagues on his side of the aisle. because I think it is imperative. and I think my colleagues do. that we get on with the continuing resolution as soon as possible. Most of us do not thinkand I do not take issue with the majority leader on thisthat it is imperative that we get on with the highway bill at this point. It has a lot of merit in many ways. many of us can support parts of it or all of it. But we do know that the continuing resolution has to pass. We all agree to that on both sides of the aisle. We do not all agree on both sides of the aisle that the highway bill has to pass now. I hope the distinguished majority leader and his colleagues will. as the evening wears on. continue to consider the proposal that we move to the continuing resolution and begin to act on itI imagine there I would be several amendments to it on both sides of the aisleand get it to conference as soon as possible and perhaps there will be some opportunities to act on the highway bill while the matter is in conference. I make the suggestion. not presumptuously. but In the utmost of good faith and with great respect and admiration for the majority leader.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: JOHN MELCHER (democrat)
Chamber: H

who is now a Member of the other body. afforded me the opportunity to go back to my district to fully explain the concept of the wilderness areas and to have the people informed as to what a wilderness area actually was. After we had an opportunity to fully explain the concept of the wilderness area. by and large we had support for the wilderness areas. They were established. and we now have within my district two wilderness areas known as the Hercules Glades Wilderness Area and the Piney Creek Wilderness Area. which are well accepted by the people and neighbors living in those hill counties in southwest Missouri. But the fact is that this measure is being rushed through the House without any attempt to conduct hearings in this area and- hear from local people who are opposed to it or who are virtually uninformed. Mr. Speaker. the prime example of how this bill is being rushed through is found right in the rule. It waives clause 2(1)(6) of rule XI. This is the 3day layover rule. The proponents of the bill. some of the members of the Interior Committee. wanted to bring this bill up earlier in the week when the waiver would have been. nenessary. They wanted to rush this measure. hoping to avoid any close examination of the issues. but their committee report was not available for the required 3 days. Today. of course. it has been available for that required time and this waiver is now a moot point. But the fact remains. Mr. Speaker. that the committee wants to take this bill up in the House with only one amendment that is made in order. This rule does not allow the opportunity to consider any other amendments except the substitute to be offered by my friend from Missouri. Representative EMERSON. who represents this district. This rule bears no resemblance to the written request made by the chairman of the Interior Committee. Mr. UDALL. He asked for a simple open rule with no waivers. The gentleman from New Mexico. the ranking Republican member of the Interior Committee.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I call up the conference report on the bill to extend the Commodity Exchange Act. and for other purposes.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I appreciate the gentleman yielding. Let me say to my distinguished colleague from Texas that the purpose of utilizing the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System here is solely for the conducting of a study. It is unrelated to any jurisdiction of the Federal Reserve or the SEC or the CFTC. The reason for their inclusion was that the committee wanted a study made of a list of items and no one was comfortable with making the decision should it be led by the SEC or should it be led by the CFTC. The compromise was made that we would ask the Federal Reserve to coordinate the study. It has nothing whatsoever to do with basic jurisdiction of the Federal Reserve.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Those options are now within the jurisdiction of the commodity futures trading Commission if they are traded on a commodities exchange.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

And this is not touched. That remains there. In this provision no basic jurisdiction is taken from or granted to any one of the three agencies. The whole purpose of this item in the bill is. to have a study and to have an impartial agencynot the two agencies involvedcoordinate these studies. Let me say that the special study provision states that the Commission shall have primary responsibility for selecting and studying the instruments under its jurisdiction. and the Securities and Exchange Commission shall have primary responsibility for selecting and studying the instruments under its jurisdiction. That maintains the 2 jurisdictions of those agencies. The Federal Reserve will participate to coordinate the study and supplement with its own analyses the studies conducted by the CFTC and SEC.
Date: 1982-12-16
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

If the gentleman will yield further. the gentleman is basically correct as to the mixture of ownership. so far as grain companies are concerned. But I think that the gentlemen need not be concerned in relation to trading in foreign currencies. Trading in currencies is basically unrelated to trading in commodities. Different people for different reasons trade in the different items. I do not know that any of our studies or any of our investigations showed the possibility that manipulation in the currency sector affects the grain sector. I have made a personal study and visit to the different exchanges. Different people deal for different reasons in different commodities. The fact is that at the present time there is no trading on exchanges in options on foreign currency. Small coin dealers and other people may -make a few dollars by buying or selling the currencies either with banks in town or with different customers that they have in their area. The thing that we think will have more impact on protecting the public from adverse effects of foreign ownership of grain companies. is the authority we have given the CFTC to require reports from the exchanges. to regulate the exchanges. and to suspend individuals from trading on exchanges if they violate the act. That affords us the protection we need.