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, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2003 No. 158 Senate The Senate met at 9:33 a.m. and was I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the on Thursday, and we will complete called to order by the President pro United States of America, and to the Repub- that before the end of this week. tempore (Mr. STEVENS). lic for which it stands, one nation under God, Also, additional appropriations con- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ference reports may be ready during PRAYER f the week, and we will proceed to those that are available. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY It is my understanding the military fered the following prayer: LEADER Let us pray. construction conference is completed, God of love, we praise You because The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The and that may be ready for consider- You are good. You made the Sun to majority leader is recognized. ation this week. rule the day and Your love is eternal. f We will continue to schedule votes as We receive strength from Your kind- necessary over the course of the week. ness and power from Your favor. You SCHEDULE This week we will also continue on choose to bless us even when we don’t Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we the appropriations bills. I have been deserve it. Great and marvelous are will have a period of morning business speaking to the chairman of the com- Your favors. for the first hour of the day’s session. mittee, and it is hoped the remaining Lord, this is Your world and Your Following that hour, the Senate will bills can be finished in a timely way. I purposes cannot be stopped. Use us as begin consideration of the fair credit will have more to say on the specifics Your instruments to accomplish Your reporting legislation. The consent of the appropriations schedule after will. agreement governing that bill allows further discussion with the chairman, Today, give Members of this body for a limited number of amendments to Senator STEVENS, and the Democratic courage and strength for their impor- be offered to the legislation. We hope leadership as well. tant work. May they avoid those words to complete action on that bill during With that said, in order for us to ad- that create division and work toward a today’s session. journ at the earliest time this year, it harmony that builds and strengthens. Last night we were also able to reach is important for all of our colleagues to Give them radiant health for these an agreement on H.R. 1828, the Syria recognize we are going to need to work challenging days and a serenity that accountability bill. We may be able to every day and have productive days. comes from trusting You. Help them to schedule consideration of that measure That is going to include Mondays, and find fulfillment in the knowledge that during today’s session as well. it is going to include Fridays. It will their work will help keep people free. Rollcall votes will occur throughout likely include each day next week. I We pray this in Your powerful name. the day today. The Senate will recess know a lot of Senators are wondering Amen. from 12:30 to 2:15 for the regular party about their schedule for next week, f luncheons. given the Veterans Day holiday. I In addition to the items I have men- think over the course of the morning PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE tioned, the Senate will act this week we will be able to lock in an under- The President pro tempore led the on the Internet tax moratorium exten- standing in terms of how and when we Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: sion. I anticipate that debate to begin can consider these appropriations bills. N O T I C E Effective January 1, 2004, the subscription price of the Congressional Record will be $503 per year or $252 for six months. Individual issues may be purchased at the following costs: Less than 200 pages, $10.50; Between 200 and 400 pages, $21.00; Greater than 400 pages, $31.50. Subscriptions in microfiche format will be $146 per year with single copies priced at $3.00. This price increase is necessary based upon the cost of printing and distribution. BRUCE R. JAMES, Public Printer. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S13839 . VerDate jul 14 2003 06:18 Nov 05, 2003 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 8633 E:\CR\FM\A04NO6.000 S04PT1 S13840 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 4, 2003 After that is done, we will clarify what The PRESIDENT pro tempore. With- ment, excessively high temperatures will happen on Veterans Day. out objection, it is so ordered. from the welding section, no health in- We have all come to the floor many Mr. DORGAN. My understanding is surance, no social pension, strict fac- times to express our desire to finish we are in morning business. tory rules, harsh management, no talk- our work at the earliest opportunity The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The ing during working hours. and, in my mind, we have 3 weeks—ac- Senator is correct. Twelve workers are housed in each tually, it is less than 3 weeks—now to f dark, stark dorm room. They have two complete our work. In order to do that, meals a day, with poor quality food. If JOBS IN AMERICA we will have to work together. We will the workers complain or attempt to have to have full, productive days, in- Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I bring raise a grievance about harsh working cluding Mondays and Fridays. It may to the attention of the Senate an issue conditions, or excessively long, forced well be we have to even consider week- dealing with jobs. It is a story about overtime hours or low wages, they are ends in order to complete our business. international trade, unfair competi- immediately fired. We will monitor the schedule and tion, and the impact it has had on In this particular plant, in late 1999, progress closely over the next day or so countless of our workers. all the workers in the delivery section and make those final decisions regard- There was great euphoria a week or went on strike and were fired imme- ing scheduling next week. At this time, so ago about the economic growth diately. I think all Members should prepare for numbers for the past quarter, some 7- So the question is, if we cannot a very busy 21⁄2 weeks. percent economic growth. The problem produce bicycles in Ohio for 25-cent-an- Again, I would like very much for us is, it was accompanied by a loss of jobs. hour to 41-cent-an-hour wages, do U.S. to work together to shoot for a total of Jobs are the kind of thing that fami- workers lose? Under current cir- 3 weeks, around November 21, to de- lies talk about in the evening as they cumstances, yes, we do, because com- part. sit around the supper table: Do I have panies decide that if U.S. workers can’t Mr. REID. Mr. President, let me say a good job? Does it pay well? Do I have compete with slave-like conditions, on behalf of the minority that we are job security? Do I feel good about the tough luck. If you can’t compete, you most happy to work on all the items company I am working for? are out. the majority leader has mentioned. We Our country, regrettably, has lost So people who were working in this look forward to working with the nearly 3 million jobs in the past several company in Celina, OH, making bicy- chairman of the Appropriations Com- years. cles for our marketplace, could not mittee and Senator BYRD to move more This is a picture of a bicycle. This compete because they were expecting a of these appropriations bills. I think we happens to be a Huffy bicycle. Huffy is liveable wage. They worked hard, and have a really outstanding record work- a well-known brand. It is sold at Wal- they were able to take a paycheck ing with the majority on appropria- Mart, KMart, Sears. This Huffy bicycle home that meets the needs of their tions bills and will continue to do that. used to be made in the United States. families: $11 an hour plus benefits. But We feel it is vitally important. The In Celina, OH, some 850 U.S. workers they were told that this was an out- conference which was completed last worked manufacturing bicycles. rageous level of compensation: $11 an week was extremely difficult and long. When a bike came off the Ohio hour—far too much. But we now have a bill which the Presi- plant’s assembly line, they would put a So instead Huffy found a place where dent has. little decal on, of an American flag. it could pay 25 cents an hour, and then We finished the Interior appropria- That was then, this is now. In the shipped its bikes back to Celina, OH, so tions conference report. I am happy to last couple of years, those jobs have all that some young kid in Celina, OH, hear we have a completed military con- moved to China, Taiwan, and Mexico.
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