April 26, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4345 Mr. DASCHLE. I yield the floor and that the citizens of the country who have been State treasurers, who have suggest the absence of a quorum. have had a chance to understand more been local officials—the worst thing to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clearly what we are talking about, and me is we are breaking our promise clerk will call the roll. the State and local officials who will about doing no harm to State and local The legislative clerk proceeded to see exactly what we are doing which governments, particularly on my side call the roll. might affect the future of State and of the aisle, the Republican side of the Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, local governments in America will sud- aisle. I ask unanimous consent the order for denly say there is a little more to this We were elected promising to do no the quorum call be rescinded. than meets the eye and that we will harm to State and local governments. I The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without come to a good conclusion. will be talking a lot about that this objection, it is so ordered. I believe it was President Harry Tru- week because I believe in that. I heard man who had on his desk a sign that it. It wasn’t just from me. f said, ‘‘The buck stops here.’’ What we are about to do today and later this In 1994, the Republican revolution CONCLUSION OF MORNING began to occur. In 1995 and 1996, we had BUSINESS week with the consideration of S. 150 is to begin a series of votes about passing Presidential elections. When the Re- Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, the buck. I looked on the Truman Pres- publican Party gained control of Con- what is the order of business? idential library Web site to see why gress in 1995, the first thing it did in The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning Harry Truman, who was noted for plain this body was pass S. 1. business is closed. speaking, liked the phrase ‘‘The buck The Presiding Officer very well f stops here.’’ Here is what the Truman knows the distinguished Senator who Web site says: was the majority leader at that time. INTERNET TAX NONDISCRIMINA- His name was Senator Bob Dole of Kan- TION ACT—MOTION TO PROCEED The saying ‘‘the buck stops here’’ derives from the slang expression ‘‘pass the buck’’ sas. He carried around in his pocket The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- which means passing the responsibility on to the tenth amendment. He said S. 1 ate will resume consideration of the someone else. The latter expression is said to means no more unfunded mandates. motion to proceed to S. 150, which the have originated with the game of poker, in If we vote to put into motion S. 150 which a marker or a counter, frequently in clerk will report. and the companion measure that The legislative clerk read as follows: frontier days a knife with a buckhorn han- dle, was used to indicate the person whose passed the House, we will be imposing Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 353, S. turn it was to deal. If the player wishes to a massive unfunded mandate on State 150, a bill to make permanent taxes on Inter- deal, he could pass the responsibility by and local governments. We will be net access and multiple and discriminatory passing the buck, as the counter came to be breaking our promise. taxes on electronic commerce imposed by called, on to the next player. It is rare that the Senate has had an the Internet Tax Freedom Act, and for other That would be my text today, if I purposes. opportunity to do so much harm with were preaching a sermon, because we one vote. It is very difficult to find a The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- are about to vote about passing the situation where you can cast one vote ator from Tennessee. buck. By passing the buck, if we were and create permanent confusion about Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, to do this, we would create permanent the fastest growing technology and a I would like to address my remarks for confusion about how to regulate and permanent tax loophole for the most the next few minutes on the discussion tax the fastest growing new technology subsidized technology I can find. With that we have been having for the last 6 in America—high-speed Internet ac- that one vote, you could also impose months in this body on the question of cess. We would create a permanent tax higher taxes, local property taxes, car how to deal with the phenomenon of loophole for the high-speed Internet ac- taxes, taxes on food, and sales taxes, high-speed Internet access. It is the cess industry and the telecommuni- and break your promise to State and fastest growing new technology in cations industry, and the high-speed local governments to do no harm. America, according to a New York Internet access industry, so far as I can There is a better way to go about Times article last week. We have some tell, must already be the most heavily this. I believe that I and my colleagues differences of opinion about how to subsidized in America by Federal, have suggested that. Senator CARPER proceed in terms of the taxation and State, and local laws. We would be vot- and I and a group of nine other Sen- regulation of this phenomenon, not ing for higher taxes, not lower taxes, ators of both parties have said: Wait a only what it should be but whether the because if you order taxes to be low- minute. Let us do this a different way. Federal Government, the State govern- ered on telecommunications or high- There is a way we can vote to ban new ment, or local government should do it. speed Internet access, you are raising taxes on Internet access for 2 years. We The leader has asked all of us who taxes on local property taxes or local can provide the Senate time to con- have different opinions to work to- sales taxes on food or local corporation sider what to do about this phe- gether. We have tried that. We have taxes on manufacturing companies nomenon of high-speed Internet access worked hard. Senator MCCAIN, chair- that might be struggling to keep from growth, and we can keep our promise man of the Commerce Committee, has moving their jobs overseas. to State and local governments. been especially involved. I am grateful It is a big trick to say this is a bill to him for that. Senator ALLEN and that lowers taxes. It does create a tax Rarely has there been a chance to do Senator WYDEN, who have principled loophole for one industry. But what so much good with one vote, and that positions on this discussion, have cost does that mean? That just means would be to pass the Alexander-Carper worked hard to try to compromise on everybody else pays higher taxes. compromise, or take the original mora- the issues, as have I and my colleagues, Aren’t a lot of people going to be sur- torium of 1998 and enact it for 2 more but we simply have a difference of prised if this should be enacted and years. That would be a vote for no opinion. suddenly they find their mayor and taxes, it would be a vote for no un- Now, today, we begin debating a mo- their Governor raising local property funded mandates, and it would be a tion to proceed and to move down a taxes, raising local sales taxes on food vote for time to study it. That would track in the Senate that, I believe, is and imposing a car tax again? That is be the wise and prudent course. That the wrong track. I welcome this oppor- what happens. You lower this tax and will be the argument we will be making tunity and I thank the leader for giv- you raise that tax. today. ing us a chance to have a full debate, Then the worst thing to me as a Today, we begin a series of proce- which we will be having this week. I former Governor—and there are many dural motions—that is the way the am confident that by the time we are in this body who have been Governors, Senate works—designed to give us a finished the Senators who have had a who have been State tax commis- full opportunity to consider and dis- chance to spend more time on this, and sioners, who have been mayors, who cuss these issues. VerDate Mar 15 2010 22:25 Jan 29, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2004SENATE\S26AP4.REC S26AP4 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S4346 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 26, 2004 Senators ALLEN and WYDEN have of- State and local taxation of Internet ac- one tax and they raise the property fered S. 150 which will be coming up cess—which would mean my relation- tax. That is not what we are supposed this afternoon. I am under no illusions ship to the Internet service provider, to do. We promised not to do that in about the fact we will be getting to it the same as my relationship to a tele- 1995. even though I think it is moving us in phone company or a cable company or There are 62 Senators serving here the wrong direction and along the a satellite TV company—they broad- today who in 1995 voted to pass the Un- wrong track.