Unanimous Consent Request -- S. 3073

Floor Speech

UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--S. 3073 -- (Senate - September 18, 2008)

Mr. CORNYN. So let me ask unanimous consent at this time that the Rules Committee be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3073, the Military Voting Act.

I ask unanimous consent that the amendment at the desk be agreed to--by the way, that is the amendment we worked on with Senator Bennett, the ranking member, and Senator Feinstein, the chairman of the Rules Committee, together with Senator Levin and Senator Warner. I ask unanimous consent that the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed at this point in the Record.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I object on behalf of the leadership, as the Rules Committee needs time to look at this and digest this and figure this out to try to work something out. So I object.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I am disappointed that the other side would object. This is the same amendment that was already cleared by the Rules Committee, so I don't understand what the process is that the Senator is referring to. I hope this isn't just another delay tactic. It is something that really cries out for us to address.

I have to say, when I travel back to my State and talk to my constituents, they absolutely believe this Congress is dysfunctional. If we can't find some way to come together on a bipartisan basis to pass noncontroversial voting rights protection for our military such as this, I guess there is not a lot of hope for doing other, perhaps more complicated, more involved things.

This is very straightforward. To have an objection to this bill which has already been worked on and cleared through the process and which was a casualty of the bizarre process by which we adopted the Defense authorization bill, without any right, really, to offer any amendments such as this, is, frankly, beyond me.

In the remaining few days this Congress is in session, I hope whatever concerns the Senator was referring to which have not been made known to me will be addressed. I will come back here every day, if necessary, and offer a similar unanimous consent request. I would ask those on the other side who object to the passage of this bill to offer me some explanation for what the specific concern is. If there is a problem we can eliminate by working with them, we would be glad to do it. But to just stonewall this important amendment to protect one of the most basic civil rights for our men and women in uniform--the right to vote--is, frankly, beyond me.

Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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