The Focus of Today's Session will be
S.1805, the Gun Liability Bill

6:30 P.M.

By a vote of 59-37, the Senate voted in favor of the Craig/Frist Amendment.  For text of the amendment, click here.  The Senate will now vote on the Mikulski amendment. 

5:55 P.M.

Senator Mikulski and Senator Craig have been debating Senator Mikulski's amendment.  Senator Craig has offered a substitute amendment.  Here is the text of Senator Mikulski's amendment.  The text of Senator Craig's amendment is not yet available.  The Senate is scheduled to vote on Senator Craig's amendment in just a few minutes. 

5:15 P.M.

Senator Durbin of Illinois expresses his support of the Mikulski Amendment. Senator Reed of Rhode speaks in support of the Mikulski Amendment because of his belief that her amendment shows how legitimate and compelling cases will be frustrated and ended by S. 1805. Senator Craig of Idaho expresses his opposition to the Mikulski Amendment because he believes S. 1805 would effectively end frivolous lawsuits, while allowing legitimate cases to proceed.

4:55 P.M.

Senator Mikulski of Maryland is offering an amendment to the Gun Liability Bill on behalf of the victims of the Maryland-Virginia-D.C. sniper attacks. Her amendment is limited to the victims of those attacks and would ensure that they have the opportunity to seek redress from negligent gun shops or manufacturers in court.  Text of the amendment will be posted as soon as it is available. 

4:50 P.M.

By a vote of 58-39, the Senate voted not to waive the budget act with respect to Senator Cantwell's amendment.  60 votes are needed to waive the budget act.  After the vote on the Cantwell amendment, Senator Frist withdrew his amendment on the Voting Rights Act. 

4:15 P.M.

Senator Dodd of Connecticut expressed his opposition to the Frist Amendment that would make the Voting Rights Act permanent. Senator Dodd opposed the Amendment because he claimed there had not been sufficient debate on the topic and that the Act does not expire until year 2007. He also expressed his concerns about groups that would be excluded by the Amendment. Senator Cornyn of Texas rose to express his concerns that the Voting Rights Act apply to all states and not just a select few. The Senate has proceeded to a roll call vote on a motion to Waive the Budget Act with respect to the Cantwell Amendment to S. 1805, the Gun Liability Bill.

3:55 P.M.

The Senate will vote shortly (in the next fifteen minutes) on Senator Cantwell's amendment on unemployment benefits.  After the conclusion of that vote, the Senate will vote Senator Frist's amendment regarding the Voting Rights Act.  Click here for the text of Senator Frist's amendment. 

3:30 P.M.

Senator Kennedy opposes the amendment because he wants to be certain to reexamine the language in the Voting Rights Act to ensure its Constitutionality can bear the test of time. He urges that making the minority language provisions permanent is too important an endeavor to be done without enough debate and reflection and should therefore not be included in S. 1805.

3:15 P.M.

Majority Leader Frist is introducing an amendment that would make permanent section four, the minority language provisions, of the Voting Rights act that expires in 2007. He thinks it is important to make permanent the progress our country has made in terms of allowing all Americans to vote. The text of this amendment will be posted as soon as it is available. Senator Craig used a parliamentary procedure to move off of Senator Cantwell's amendment, and no vote was held.  

2:50 P.M.

Senator Ensign continues to speak against Senator Cantwell’s amendment on unemployment benefits. He notes that in her state of Washington, $167 million of unemployment benefits was allotted in 2002, but only $3.5 million has been used. Instead of allocating more funds in this way, Senator Ensign is arguing that the Senate should pass the Workforce Reinvestment Act which would train 900,000 Americans for new jobs. Click here for the text of Senator Cantwell's amendment. 

2:30 P.M.

Senator Ensign from Nevada is speaking in opposition to Senator Cantwell’s amendment. He notes that in a changing economy people are switching jobs and therefore their unemployment is only temporary, and Congress needs a policy that reflects this change. This amendment would cost about a billion dollars a month to sustain the benefits, and that will just add to our already growing budget deficit, Senator Ensign argues. He also indicates that we need to keep federal spending in check to secure a strong economy in the future.

2:15 P.M.

Senator Sarbanes from Maryland is offering his support for Senator Cantwell’s amendment to extend the unemployment benefits that have lapsed since the end of December. This amendment would extend benefits through June. Senator Sarbanes says that jobs are not being created quickly enough to close the unemployment gap, and therefore we owe it to unemployed workers to extend their benefits.

2:10 P.M.

Senator Cantwell from Washington is now offering an amendment to S. 1805, dealing with the extension of unemployment insurance benefits. Senator Cantwell’s amendment would extend unemployment benefits to American workers whose benefits are about to expire. She is worried about how job growth is going to occur in our sluggish economy, and wishes to help unemployed Americans from slipping into further debt by extending their benefits.

1:30 P.M.

The Senate is still considering the Kennedy Amendment to S.1805, the Gun Liability Bill. Senator Craig and Senator Kennedy just discussed the differences in their amendments. Senator Craig raised concerns that by placing a performance based ban on rifle and assault ammunition, hunting ammunition is in danger. Most hunting ammunition is capable of penetrating soft body armor, Senator Craig argued, and therefore the Kennedy amendment would essentially ban most hunting rifles. Senator Kennedy said that Senator Craig is misrepresenting the capabilities of his amendment. Senator Kennedy reemphasized his desire to pass a ban only on ammunition that is marketed as armor penetrating. For text of the Kennedy Amendment #2619 click here.

1:00 P.M.

Senator Kennedy is discussing the dangers associated with “cop killer” bullets—bullets that are able to puncture and penetrate bullet proof vests. Senator Kennedy’s amendment would ban ammunition that is marketed as having “armor piercing capabilities.” There is currently no Federal law against the purchase of this type of ammunition and in a single year over 100,000 rounds of armor piercing ammunition was sold in the United States to civilian buyers. Senator Kennedy’s urges that allowing the sale of this type of bullet unnecessarily puts U.S. citizens and law enforcement officers at risk.

12:15 P.M.

Senator Leahy Senator Leahy just spoke about The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, S.253, cosponsored by himself, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado, Senator Orin Hatch from Utah, and Senator Harry Reid from Nevada. Offered as an amendment to the Gun Liability Act, this Act seeks to provide protection to law enforcement officers and their families by allowing trained and certified on- or off-duty or retired officers to carry a concealed firearm so that they are able to immediately respond to a crime. Click HERE for Senator Leahy's statement on the The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act.

12:10 P.M.

By a vote of 70-27 the Senate passed Amendment #2620 introduced by Senator Boxer. This Amendment will require the provision of a child safety device in connection with the transfer of a handgun and will provide safety standards for child safety devices.

Currently Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut is expressing his anger over the Gun Liability bill. He has stated that he will vote against final passage regardless of any amendments added to it. He feels strongly that the Senate is doing a disservice to the American people by shielding an entire industry from civil liability.

This afternoon, the Senate will consider Amendment #2623, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, cosponsored by Senator Leahy, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado, Senator Orin Hatch from Utah, and Senator Harry Reid from Nevada.

11:00 A.M.

Senator Craig is voicing his concerns with the Boxer amendment. He feels that the federal government should not have the right to tell American citizens how they should store objects in the privacy of their home.  The Senate is now holding a roll call vote on the Boxer Amendment.  For text of the amendment, click here.

10:45 A.M.

By a voice vote, the Senate has just agreed to an amendment proposed by Senator Herb Kohl from Wisconsin. Senator Kohl’s amendment addresses the need to decrease the rate of child deaths resulting from gun violence and he referenced a very similar proposal that was supported by the Senate in 1999.

10:00 A.M.

Senator Barbara Boxer has come to the Floor to propose an amendment to the Gun Liability bill which would require that all handguns sold in the United States be equipped with a child safety device such as a lockbox. Senator Boxer feels it is essential that action is taken to help reduce the number of child deaths which occur every year due to gun violence. She stated that in this country a child or youth is killed every three hours by a firearm and that the rate of firearm deaths is 12 times higher in this country than in 25 other industrialized countries.

9:45 A.M.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist began this morning stating that a vote for final passage on the Gun Liability bill has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 2nd. Senator Frist praised the bill, claming it enjoys broad bipartisan support. He went on to discuss the adverse economic effects that expensive lawsuits brought against gun manufactures can have on small communities where gun manufacturers are the major employers.

9:30 A.M.

The Senate convenes this morning to resume consideration of S.1805, the Gun Liability bill. Introduced on October 31, 2003 by Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act would prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages resulting from the misuse of their products by others. By a vote of 75-22 the Senate agreed to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.1805 late yesterday morning. Today Senators will have the opportunity to propose various amendments to the bill as agreed to in a unanimous consent agreement announced late yesterday by Majority Whip Mitch McConnell.