E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 108 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 149 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2003 No. 137 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was appoint the Honorable ROBERT F. BENNETT, a RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING called to order by the Honorable ROB- Senator from the State of Utah, to perform MINORITY LEADER the duties of the Chair. ERT F. BENNETT, a Senator from the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- State of Utah. TED STEVENS, President pro tempore. pore. The Senator from Nevada. Mr. REID. Mr. President, I simply PRAYER Mr. BENNETT thereupon assumed ask that when the Chair announces The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- the Chair as Acting President pro tem- pore. morning business, the full hour be allo- fered the following prayer: cated to both sides evenly divided. Let us pray. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- f O God, who holds the wind in Your pore. Without objection, it is so or- fist and wraps the ocean in Your cloak, dered. we thank You for defending all who RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING come to You for protection. We ask MAJORITY LEADER f You to protect our military in its de- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME fense of our freedoms. Give our mili- pore. The Senator from Kentucky is The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- tary people Your presence and peace. recognized. pore. Under the previous order, the Lord, fill the God-shaped void that is in leadership time is reserved. each of us that we may live abun- f dantly. Remind us often that before f honor is humility. Today, give our Sen- MORNING BUSINESS ators the wisdom to meet the chal- SCHEDULE lenges of our time. May they not grow Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, this The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- weary in their efforts to find common morning the Senate will be in a period pore. There will be a period for the ground. Give them the strengthening for morning business until 10:30. Under transaction of morning business until joy of Your spirit, that they may have the agreement reached last night, at the hour of 10:30 with the first half of courage for hard times and determina- 10:30 the Senate will begin consider- the time under the control of the tion for challenging tasks. We pray ation of the supplemental appropria- Democratic leader or his designee and this in Your holy name. Amen. tion for Iraq and Afghanistan security. the second half of the time under the control of the Senator from Texas, f The order provides for debate only until 12:30. We expect amendments to Mrs. HUTCHISON, or her designee. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE be offered during today’s session and Who yields time? The Honorable ROBERT F. BENNETT therefore rollcall votes will occur The Senator from Nevada. led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: throughout the day. f I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Yesterday, after the Appropriations United States of America, and to the Repub- Committee finished its work on the FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT lic for which it stands, one nation under God, legislation and reported the bill to the OVERTIME RULES indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. full Senate, the two leaders came to Mr. REID. Mr. President, this is a f the floor to reach the agreement to land of opportunity. Americans know if APPOINTMENT OF ACTING begin consideration of the bill today. they are willing to work hard, they can PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE As stated last night in the colloquy, realize their dreams. Hard work built the Senate will consider amendments this country and hard work is what has The PRESIDING OFFICER. The to the legislation this week. Following enabled generations of Americans to clerk will please read a communication the recess, we will resume the bill with own a home, make a stronger commu- to the Senate from the President pro the expectation of completing all ac- nity, and give their children a good tempore (Mr. STEVENS). tion by the end of that week. education. The legislative clerk read the fol- As we begin the process, the leader is Americans have always been willing lowing letter: asking for the cooperation of all Mem- to work hard to reach their goals, and U.S. SENATE, bers in advance and thanks everyone we are working longer hours today PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Washington, DC, October 1, 2003. for their willingness to cooperate to than ever before. Almost one-third of To the Senate: try to push this bill through to comple- the labor force regularly works longer Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, tion the week after we return from the than a 40-hour week and 20 percent of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby recess. work longer than 50 hours. Fifty years ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S12213 . VerDate jul 14 2003 01:06 Oct 02, 2003 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A01OC6.000 S01PT1 S12214 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 1, 2003 ago, as part of the Fair Labor Stand- front-line defense in homeland secu- a time when we have a disastrous eco- ards Act, we established the principle rity. nomic policy, we have lost more than 3 of overtime pay for those who work I am wondering how the Senator million jobs, and it says we are going more than 40 hours a week. This recog- from Nevada views this proposal by the to take it out on the overtime workers, nized the value of hard work and re- administration, in terms of fairness to which in this instance affects the warded those who worked the hardest. workers in his own State. front-line workers, the home guard, so Families who work hard depend upon Mr. REID. With the Senator from to speak, the ones we are relying on to overtime pay. For the families who do Massachusetts on the floor, I will re- defend this country—the nurses, the earn overtime, it makes up one-fourth spond this way. The Senator from Mas- firefighters, and the police. of their total salary. sachusetts has led the fight for decades What in the world is it about hard- Having said all this, I cannot under- on raising the minimum wage. I say to working Americans who are working stand why the President is proposing my friend, it seems so unusual, so ab- hard to provide for their families that to change the rules on overtime pay. surd to me that this administration on this administration just can’t stand? His proposal would eliminate overtime the one hand will not let us even have I see our friend and leader here from wages for 8 million workers—nurses, a vote on raising the minimum wage, Iowa, who has been so involved in this firefighters, police officers, flight at- yet at the same time they are trying to issue. I know he has some important tendants, preschool teachers, cooks, cut overtime from people. observations as well. secretaries, and fast-food shift man- I received a call from a 58-year-old Mr. REID. I yield the floor. Mr. HARKIN. Will the Senator yield? agers. This proposal would amount to a man in Las Vegas, my friend, Sunday night. He said, You know, my diabetes Mr. KENNEDY. I am glad to yield pay cut for these hard-working fami- the floor. is getting worse. I think I am going to lies. It would also mean fewer jobs be- Mr. HARKIN. I thank the Senator have to go on injections. I have been cause companies would simply force from Massachusetts and our assistant taking a pill, but I am 58 years old and their employees to work longer hours minority leader, the Senator from Ne- it is getting worse. He said, The reason without paying overtime instead of hir- vada, Senator REID, for bringing up I am concerned is I have no health in- ing new workers. this issue today. In the current economic situation, surance. My wife has health insurance Again, more disturbing news has when millions of Americans are out of but I have no health insurance. come out this week, I say to the Sen- work, it does not make sense to do This man works 60, 70 hours a week. ator from Massachusetts. He has cov- something that will stifle the creation He has two jobs. But both jobs are such ered the increase in poverty in this of new jobs. Even for the workers who that he doesn’t qualify for the fringe country. More and more people are would still qualify for overtime, this is benefits. The fringe benefits, among being left behind and unemployment a bad rule. Why? Because big compa- other things, are health insurance. So continues to go up. At that very time, nies will force the overtime-exempt he works two jobs, hard work, he is 58 this administration wants to pull the workers to put in longer hours and cut years old, and he has no health insur- rug out from underneath people who the hours of those who qualify for over- ance. work hard, to take away their over- time. I say to my friend, I cannot imagine time protection. That is coming to a Mr. KENNEDY. Will the Senator the mental gyrations this administra- head this week, I say to the Senator yield on that point? tion has to go through to, on the one from Massachusetts, because the House Mr.