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“UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 1555” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S8706-S8707 on July 16, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 1555
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now turn to H.R. 1555, the intelligence authorization bill, and under the provisions of the agreement of May 27, 1999, following the reporting of the bill by the clerk, I would send an amendment to the desk regarding national security at the DOE.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Mr. REID. There is an objection.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I am surprised by this objection by our Democratic colleagues. This issue concerns two very important matters: one, the intelligence authorization for the year, and also the very important Department of Energy reforms as a result of the Chinese espionage that has occurred during the last several years within the Department of Energy.
Needless to say, this issue needs to be debated in the Senate. I am truly sorry our Democratic colleagues do not want to debate it at this time.
I have urged the President, the National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger, and the Secretary of Energy to engage this issue. The headline should read: Senate resolves how in the future the Department of Energy will handle these matters to stop the leaks of very important nuclear weapons information from our labs.
That should be the headline, that we are working together to resolve this problem, instead of the situation where the Secretary of the Department of Energy is still trying to have a diffused system of reporting. There should be only one person who is reported to on the matters of national security at our nuclear labs, and that is the Secretary of Energy, and it should go straight to him and from him to the President of the United States. Surely we can work this out.
Having said that, I now move to proceed to H.R.----
Mr. REID. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. LOTT. I will be glad to yield.
Mr. REID. I say to the majority leader, there are ongoing discussions. There was a hearing today in the Senate on this very issue. There are meetings that are going to take place today on that issue. I have spoken to the Secretary of Energy as recently as last evening.
We are really trying to work something out. I think parties on both sides are trying to work something out. I think it would be to everyone's best interest that when we do bring this up, there is some degree of certainty that it will be resolved.
We also understand, without any question, the importance of the intelligence authorization bill. Senator Kerrey, the ranking member of this committee, has expressed, on numerous occasions, how important it is we move this legislation. So I say to the leader and Members of this body, we are doing our utmost to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
Mr. LOTT. I am glad to hear that.
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