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SENATE-Monday, March 12, 1984 March 12, 1981,. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE 5121 SENATE-Monday, March 12, 1984 The Senate met at 12 noon and was have been granted in favor of two Sen­ issue, such as that proposed by Sena­ called to order by the President pro ators, Senators PROXMIRE and INOUYE, tor GoRTON, which is elegant in its tempore <Mr. THuRMoND). to be followed by a period for the sparcity of language and appeals to transaction of routine morning busi­ the constitutional senses, perhaps, as PRAYER ness for not more than 1 hour in much as anything that we have seen. length in which Senators may speak The Chaplain, the Reverend Rich­ for not more than 10 minutes each. But my point, Mr. President, is that ard C. Halverson, D.O., offered the fol­ - we still have a number of laudable, lowing prayer: Mr. President, that means then that worthwhile, serious, and important sometime probably at 1:30 or there­ Let us pray. variations on this theme that have not abouts the Senate will resume consid­ yet been fully ventilated and on which Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in eration of the unfinished business, His sanctuary: praise Him in the fir­ there is not yet general agreement which is Senate Joint Resolution 73, within the Senate. There are no doubt mament of His power. the prayer amendment. Praise Him for His mighty acts: other, perhaps dozens of other amend­ praise Him according to His excellent Mr. President, the Senate today ments that may be offered at one time greatness. enters its second week of debate on or another. And may I urge Senators Praise Him with the sound of the that resolution. I began the debate by now to do as I have tried to do this trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery announcing my sponsorship of the week, and that is, as a serious proposal and harp. same resolution which was approved is put forward, put it in the REcoRD so Praise Him with the timbrel and by the Senate in 1970, which was the other Senators can read it, their staffs dance: praise Him with stringed in­ Dirksen prayer amendment, essential­ can examine it, and constitutional ex­ struments and organs. ly. The Committee on the Judiciary perts and others around the country Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: reported a slightly different amend­ may understand it. praise Him upon the High sounding ment with an accompanying commit­ We no longer automatically print cymbals. tee amendment. amendments, even if they are offered Let everything that hath breath Mr. President, since that time there for printing, which was a wise decision praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.­ have been a number of meetings by since we were threatened with an in­ Psalm 150. Members away from the floor of the undation of paperwork. But it is en­ Amen. Senate-! started to say private meet­ tirely appropriate to put such ings, but these were reported so lav­ thoughts, such proposed amendments, ishy in the press that I think they in the RECORD so that members can ex­ RECOGNITION OF THE would not deserve the description of MAJORITY LEADER amine them. And I urge Senators to do private meetings-in an effort to see if that. Senator GoRTON did that on The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The there was a body of agreed language Thursday, I have done it previously, majority leader is recognized. that might be offered in some manner and I encourage other Members to do Mr. BAKER. I thank the Chair. under the rules of the Senate that the same. <Mr. DANFORTH assumed the would hasten our consideration of this Mr. President, all of these observa­ chair.> matter and appeal to a majority of the tions are in preparation for saying Senate in the constitutional sense, that I am where I was when I began. I which requires two-thirds of the am not seeking a religious advantage SENATE SCHEDULE quorum of the Senators present to ap­ for any group. I am not trying to es­ Mr. BAKER. Mr. President, it might prove a constitutional amendment and tablish a religion. I am simply trying be well to restate the program for send it to the House of Representa­ to make the state neutral in matters today which was placed in the RECORD tives. of religion, especially in our public as the last item of business on Thurs­ But I have reached the place, Mr. schools. day. President, where, having spent a week I have no pride of authorship in any­ First of all, Members will recall that on general debate, if I may be so gen­ thing that I have proposed. I am not the Senate, as we usually do at the erous as to so characterize it, that we going to embrace quickly any proposal end of the week, adjourned rather may waste more time trying to com­ until I have had time to hear it and than recessed on Thursday. so this is a promise than we would trying to deal examine it and to observe the debate. new legislative day. However, on with the issue at hand. Thursday we entered a unanimous­ But, Mr. President, at some point I am reminded that we now, in gen­ the Senate must do its business, be­ consent order that provided that the eral terms, have the issue of vocal usual preliminaries pursuant to an ad­ versus silent prayer. There is an cause the Constitution enjoins on us journment would be dispensed with, amendment for each, for vocal or the heavy positive responsibility of and they included the reading of the silent prayer as an option, which is the dealing with issues of this sort no Journal, and that order also provided essence of another proposal. There are matter how emotional-and, by the that no resolution could come over amendments dealing with equal access way, and parenthetically, I said at the under the rule, provided that the call for religious groups, as well as secular beginning I wanted to try to deemo­ of the calendar would be dispensed groups in public places, particularly tionalize this debate. I think I did so in with, and provided also that the morn­ public schools. There is a proviso cur­ spades. As a matter of fact, there were ing hour be deemed to have expired, rently being discussed about setting few speakers last week. We did not which has procedural significance that aside separate and equivalent accom­ have many takers. So we have accom­ most Members will recognize. modations for silent meditation or plished that, anyway. Mr. President, after the two leaders prayer, as well as vocal prayer. And But, Mr. President, I do not propose are recognized under the standing there are reformulations of a constitu­ to try to cut off any Senator. The order this morning, special orders tional amendment dealing with this leadership on this side does not pro- e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member on the floor. 5122 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENAtE March 12, 1981,. pose to file for cloture as long as we RECOGNITION OF THE Demand for steam coal for electric utili­ are doing important and significant MINORITY LEADER ties is stirring again, but many of the inquir­ ies coming in are from utility buyers seeking business; that is, as long as we are The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under going about the business of consider­ six- or nine-month deals to carry them past the previous order, the minority leader a possible United Mine Workers strike when ing, examining, and voting on amend­ is recognized. the current contract expires Oct. 1. ments. There will be no effort by the Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank Unemployment rates in the seven Virginia leadership on this side to cut off those the Chair. coal counties still range upward to nearly 19 amendments. I may vote against them, The majority leader did not trans­ percent, and some local officials say the there may be a motion to table, or gress on my rights in any way. I am true figures are higher because some unem­ whatever, but my point is that the certain that all of us are interested in ployed workers have simply stopped looking his comments with respect to the work for jobs that are not there. The statewide leadership on this side has-and, inci­ figure for January was only 6 percent. dentally, I would almost bet I speak for the rest of the week. We thank In nearby West Virginia, which was even for the leadership on both sides when him. harder hit by mine layoffs last year, the pic­ I say that there is no desire to cut off ture is much the same. Employment gains any Senator who wishes to contribute A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO have been larger, but jobless rates in two to this important debate. LIGHT coal counties, Wyoming and McDowell, were The minority leader, of course, will nearly 23 percent in January. speak for himself. Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the The National Coal Association predicted Mr. President, my goal is to get on March 12 edition of the Washington last month that U.S. coal exports, which fell Post contains a very informative arti­ sharply last year, probably won't regain with the business at hand, to try to cle on the state' of the coal industry in their 1982 level of 105 million tons until well work our way through the amendment southern West Virginia and Virginia. into the 1990s. Even then, exports of the process.
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