Got this as e-mail from the Bob Smith campaign...
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/ap/washington/story.html?s=v/ap/1999070
1/pl/gun_control_67.html
By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - In the polite parlance of the Senate, Majority Leader Trent Lott on Thursday dismissed Sen. Bob Smith’s threat to hold up legislative business if negotiations are opened with the House on new gun control restrictions.
Threat or no threat, Lott told reporters, negotiators will be appointed and the process will begin in mid-July.
“At some point, you have to go forward,” Lott, R-Miss., told reporters at a news conference. He promised “to talk to Senator Smith about how we go to conference.”
Smith, one of three senators running longshot bids for the GOP presidential nomination, opposes the new gun restrictions in the Senate-approved juvenile justice bill.
The House passed a juvenile justice bill that significantly weakened the Senate’s proposed gun control measure. Leaders of both houses say they will appoint negotiators to work out the differences after the summer recess.
Smith, R-N.H., believes that the Senate’s gun provisions stand a chance of surviving the talks. He’s also not sure whether he likes weakened gun proposals that won brief favor in the House before lawmakers there decide to reject gun controls entirely.
On Wednesday, he sent letters to Lott and Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, saying he was considering a procedural maneuver to block the appointment of conferees, the first step in the process.
Senate tradition permits its members to hold up legislative process by objecting to it for any reason.
Going to conference, Smith told reporters, is “not worth the risk,” and he’s considering everything from a hold to a filibuster to stop conferees from being named.
“The odds are the conferees will be favorable to the Senate’s position,” Smith said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to see to it that we don’t get to conference.”
Rather, Smith said, GOP leaders should put the House bill up for a vote in the Senate and bar amendments.
But Lott has no such plans, and he made clear that he intends to talk Smith out of the confrontation. If Smith persists, Lott said he would call for a Senate vote on the matter.
“I wouldn’t mean it as an affront to anybody,” Lott said. “Anyway, we won’t do it till we come back and give it time.”
Smith said no one has tried to force to retreat from his position.
“Thus far my arms are intact and no one has threatened me with anything,” Smith said.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/ap/washington/story.html?s=v/ap/1999070
1/pl/gun_control_67.html
By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - In the polite parlance of the Senate, Majority Leader Trent Lott on Thursday dismissed Sen. Bob Smith’s threat to hold up legislative business if negotiations are opened with the House on new gun control restrictions.
Threat or no threat, Lott told reporters, negotiators will be appointed and the process will begin in mid-July.
“At some point, you have to go forward,” Lott, R-Miss., told reporters at a news conference. He promised “to talk to Senator Smith about how we go to conference.”
Smith, one of three senators running longshot bids for the GOP presidential nomination, opposes the new gun restrictions in the Senate-approved juvenile justice bill.
The House passed a juvenile justice bill that significantly weakened the Senate’s proposed gun control measure. Leaders of both houses say they will appoint negotiators to work out the differences after the summer recess.
Smith, R-N.H., believes that the Senate’s gun provisions stand a chance of surviving the talks. He’s also not sure whether he likes weakened gun proposals that won brief favor in the House before lawmakers there decide to reject gun controls entirely.
On Wednesday, he sent letters to Lott and Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, saying he was considering a procedural maneuver to block the appointment of conferees, the first step in the process.
Senate tradition permits its members to hold up legislative process by objecting to it for any reason.
Going to conference, Smith told reporters, is “not worth the risk,” and he’s considering everything from a hold to a filibuster to stop conferees from being named.
“The odds are the conferees will be favorable to the Senate’s position,” Smith said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to see to it that we don’t get to conference.”
Rather, Smith said, GOP leaders should put the House bill up for a vote in the Senate and bar amendments.
But Lott has no such plans, and he made clear that he intends to talk Smith out of the confrontation. If Smith persists, Lott said he would call for a Senate vote on the matter.
“I wouldn’t mean it as an affront to anybody,” Lott said. “Anyway, we won’t do it till we come back and give it time.”
Smith said no one has tried to force to retreat from his position.
“Thus far my arms are intact and no one has threatened me with anything,” Smith said.
