BE READ A THIRD TIME AND THE SENATE THEN PROCEED ON A VOTE ON
           PASSAGE OF S. 1618, WITH NO INTERVENING ACTION OR DEBATE. MR.
           PRESIDENT, THAT'S THE ANTISLAMMING BILL, WHICH, AS WE KNOW,
           THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS HEARINGS AND DISCUSSION AND DEBATE NOT
           ONLY WITHIN THE SENATE BUT IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. ADDITIONALLY,
           I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT THE MAJORITY LEADER, AFTER
           CONSULTATION WITH THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER, MAY PROCEED TO THE

           CONSIDERATION OF S. 1723. I FURTHER ASK CONSENT THAT THERE BE A
           TOTAL OF TWO HOURS OF DEBATE EQUALLY DIVIDED IN THE USUAL FORM.
           SKI NO AMENDMENT BE IN ORDER OTHER THAN THE COMMITTEE REPORT
           AND EXECUTE AMENDMENT. I FINALLY ASK CONSENT THAT FOLLOWING
           DISPOSITION OF THE ABOVE AMENDMENT THE BILL BE READ A THIRD
           TIME AND THE SENATE PROCEED TO A VOTE ON THE PASSAGE OF S. 1723
           WITH NO INTERVENING ACTION OR DEBATE. AND THAT, MR. PRESIDENT,
           IS THE SKILL OF WORKERS IMMIGRATION BILL THAT IS SPONSORED BY

           SENATOR ABRAHAM. I ALSO ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT THE MAJORITY
           LEADER, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER, MAY
           PROCEED TO THE CONSIDERATION OF S. 1260. I FURTHER ASK CONSENT
           THAT THERE BE A TOTAL OF TWO HOURS OF DEBATE EQUALLY DIVIDED IN
           THE USUAL FORM. I FURTHER ASK NO AMENDMENTS BE IN ORDER OTHER
           THAN THE COMMITTEE REPORT AND SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT. I FINALLY
           ASK CONSENT THAT FOLLOWING THE DISPOSITION OF THE ABOVE
           AMENDMENT, THE BILL BE READ A THIRD TIME AND THE SENATE THEN
           PROCEED TO A VOTE ON PASSAGE OF S. 1260 WITH NO INTERVENING
           ACTION OR DEBATE. THAT BILL IS THE UNIFORM STANDARDS ACT. AND,

           FINALLY, I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT THE MAJORITY LEADER,
           AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER, MAY PROCEED TO
           THE CONSIDERATION OF S. 2037. I FURTHER ASK CONSENT THAT THERE
           BE A TOTAL OF 30 MINUTES OF DEBATE EQUALLY DIVIDED IN THE USUAL
           FORM WITH AN ADDITIONAL 15 MINUTES UNDER THE CONTROL OF SENATOR
           ASHCROFT. I ASK NO AMENDMENTS BE IN ORDER OF THE BILL.
           FOLLOWING THE EXPIRATION OR YIELDING BACK OF THE TIME, THE BILL
           BE READ A THIRD TIME, THE SENATE THEN PROCEED TO A VOTE ON
           PASSAGE OF S. 2307 WITH NO INTERVENING ACTION OR DEBATE. MR.

           PRESIDENT, THAT'S THE SO-CALLED WIPO COPYRIGHT TREATY
           LEGISLATION FROM SENATOR HATCH OUT OF THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
           MR. PRESIDENT, I YIELD THE FLOOR.
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: IS THERE OBJECTION?
           
           

           A SENATOR: RESERVING THE RIGHT TO OBJECT, MR. PRESIDENT.
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA.
           

           MR. DORGAN: AND I SHALL OBJECT. BUT UNDER MY RESERVATION, LET
           ME POINT OUT, I THINK AS THE SENATOR FROM ARIZONA POINTED OUT,
           NO SUCH AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED BETWEEN THE MAJORITY AND
           MINORITY LEADERS ON THESE PIECES OF LEGISLATION DEALING WITH
           THE PROCEDURES UNDER WHICH THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED. ALL OF THE
           UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUESTS PROVIDE A LIMITED TIME AND LIMITED
           AMENDMENTS. I THINK IN MOST CASES ONLY THE MANAGERS' AMENDMENT
           WOULD THEN PRECLUDE AMENDMENTS FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
           SENATE. IT'S MY HOPE THAT SOME KIND OF AN AGREEMENT WILL BE
           REACHED BY THE MAJORITY AND MINORITY LEADER. BUT UNTIL SUCH AN
           AGREEMENT IS REACHED, I AM CONSTRAINED TO OBJECT, SO I DO
           OBJECT.
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: OBJECTION IS HEARD. MR. MCCAIN: MADAM
           PRESIDENT?
           
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE SENATOR FROM ARIZONA.
           

           MR. MCCAIN: MADAM PRESIDENT, I REMAIN HOPEFUL THAT WITHIN THE
           NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS WE CAN REACH THIS UNANIMOUS CONSENT
           AGREEMENT. THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT DEAL OF DISCUSSION ABOUT
           TAKING UP THESE PIECES OF LEGISLATION. IN FACT, SEVERAL OURS IN
           ADDITION. BUT, I BELIEVE -- SEVERAL OTHERS IN ADDITION. I
           BELIEVE THE SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA SHARES MY OPTIMISM AND WE
           CAN, PERHAPS WITH SOME MODIFICATION, REACH AGREEMENT.
           

           MR. DORGAN: MADAM PRESIDENT, IF THE SENATOR WOULD YIELD, I
           DON'T THINK THE PROBLEM IS THE PARTICULAR ISSUES THE SENATOR
           PROPOSES TO BRING TO THE FLOOR. IN FACT, MOST OF THEM WOULD
           HAVE RATHER WIDE PRED SUPPORT. THE QUESTION IS THE RESTRICTIONS
           ON AMENDMENTS AND SO ON. AS THE SENATOR KNOWS, THAT IS A
           PRODUCT OF HAVING TO CONSULT WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CAUCUS
           AND THE CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE MAJORITY LEADER AND THE
           MINORITY LEADER. I KNOW THAT THEY ARE VISITING, AND I WOULD
           EXPECT AND HOPE THAT THAT IS RESOLVED. BUT UNTIL IT'S RESOLVED,
           WE MUST OBJECT. AND I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH THE UNDERSTANDING OF

           THE SENATOR FROM ARIZONA. MR. MCCAIN: MADAM PRESIDENT?
           
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE SENATOR FROM ARIZONA.
           

           MR. MCCAIN: MADAM PRESIDENT, DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS THE
           UNITED STATES ECONOMY HAS PERFORMED BEYOND MOST EXPECTATIONS. A
           SHRINKING BUDGET DEFICIT, LOW INTEREST RATES, A STABLE MACRO
           AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, EXPANDING INTERNATIONAL TRADE WITH
           FEWER BARRIERS AND EFFECTIVE PRIVATE-SECTOR MANAGEMENT ARE ALL
           CREDITED WITH PLAYING A ROLE IN THIS HEELGTY ECONOMIC
           PERFORMANCE. MANY OBSERVERS BELIEVE ADVANCES IN INFORMATION
           TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN BY THE GROWTH OF THE INTERNET HAVE ALSO

           CONTRIBUTED TO CREATING THIS HEALTHIER-THAN-EXPECTED ECONOMY.
           IN RECENT TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS, FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD CHAIRMAN
           ALAN GREENSPAN NOTED -- QUOTE -- "OUR NATION HAS BEEN
           EXPERIENCING A HIGHER GROWTH RATE OF PRODUCTIVITY, OUTPUT PER
           HOUR WORKED IN RECENT YEARS. THE DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS IN
           COMPUTING POWER AND COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
           APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN A MAJOR FORCE BEHIND THIS BENEFICIAL
           TREND." MADAM PRESIDENT, WE ALL PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO FEDERAL

           RESERVE BOARD CHAIRMAN ALAN GREENSPAN, AND USUALLY, ESPECIALLY
           IN THIS CASE, WE AGREE. SOME HAVE EVEN SUGGESTED THAT THESE
           ADVANCES WILL CREATE A LONG BOON WHICH WILL TAKE THE ECONOMY TO
           NEW HEIGHTS OVER THE NEXT QUARTER-CENTURY. WHILE THE FULL
           ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CANNOT YET BE
           PRECISELY EVALUATED, ITS IMPACT IS SIGNIFICANT. INFORMATION
           TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES HAVE BEEN GROWING AT MORE THAN DOUBLE THE
           RATE OF THE OVERALL ECONOMY, A TREND THAT IS LIKELY TO
           CONTINUE. INVESTMENTS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NOW REPRESENT

           OVER 45% OF ALL BUSINESS EQUIPMENT INVESTMENT. DECLINING PRICES
           FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS HAVE LOWERED OVERALL
           INFLATION. BECAUSE THE INTERNET IS NEW AND ITS USES ARE
           DEVELOPING VERY RAPIDLY, RELIABLE ECONOMY-WIDE STATISTICS ARE
           HARD TO FIND AND FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED. THEREFORE, WE HAVE
           TO USE INDUSTRY AND COMPANY EXAMPLES TO ILLUSTRATE THE RAPID
           PACE AT WHICH INTERNET COMMERCE IS BEING DEPLOYED AND THE
           BENEFITS BEING REALIZED. EXAMPLES SHOW THE GROWTH OF THE

           INTERNET IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE THIS PAST YEAR ARE NUMEROUS.
           FEWER THAN 40 MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WERE CONNECTED TO
           THE INTERNET DURING 1996. BY THE END OF 1997, MORE THAN 100
           MILLION PEOPLE WERE USING THE INTERNET. AS OF DECEMBER 1996,
           ABOUT 627,000 INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES HAVE BEEN REGISTERED. BY
           THE END OF 1997 THE NUMBER OF DOMAIN NAMES MORE THAN DOUBLED TO
           REACH 1.5 MILLION. TRAFFIC ON THE INTERNET HAS BEEN DUCK EVERY

           100 DAYS. -- HAS BEEN DOUBLING EVERY 100 DAYS. MADAM PRESIDENT,
           I FEEL COMPELLED TO REPEAT THAT. TRAFFIC ON THE INTERNET HAS
           BEEN DOUBLING EVERY 100 DAYS. CISCO SYSTEMS CLOSED 1996, HAVING
           BOOKED JUST OVER 100 MILLION IN SALES ON THE INTERNET. BY THE
           END OF 1997, ITS INTERNET SALES WERE RUNNING AT A $3.2 BILLION
           ANNUAL RATE. IN 1996, AMAZON.COM, THE FIRST INTERNET BOOK

           STORE, RECORDED SALES OF $16 MILLION. IN 1997 IT SOLD $148
           MILLION WORTH OF BOOKS TO INTERNET CUSTOMERS. ONE OF THE
           NATION'S LARGEST BOOK RETAILERS, BARN SPS AND NOBLE, LAUNCHED
           ITS OWN ON-LINE BOOKSTORE TO COMPETE WITH AMAZON. IN JANUARY
           1997 DEL COMPUTERS WAS SELLING LESS THAN $1 MILLION OF
           COMPUTERS PER DAY INTERNET. THE COMPANY REPORTED REACHING DAILY

           SALES OF $6 MILLION SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE DECEMBER 1997
           HOLIDAY PERIOD. AUTO BI-TEL, PROCESSED A TOTAL OF 345,000
           PURCHASE REQUESTS FOR AUTOS THROUGH ITS WEB SITE IN 1996 FOR
           $1.8 BILLION IN AUTO SALES. AS OF THE END OF NOVEMBER 1997, THE
           WEB SITE WAS GENERATING $500 MILLION A MONTH IN AUTO SALES,
           WHICH IS $6 BILLION ANNUALIZED, AND PROCESSED OVER 100,000

           PURCHASE REQUESTS EACH MONTH. MADAM PRESIDENT, THAT'S JUST A
           FEW EXAMPLES OF THE WAY THAT THIS INDUSTRY IS EXPLODING INTO
           AMERICAN LIFE AND TO ALL PARTS OF IT. HOW IT IS CHANGING
           AMERICA IS DRAMATIC, AND, FRANKLY, THERE'S VERY FEW OF US KNOW
           EXACTLY WHAT THE END RESULTS ARE GOING TO BE. AND THERE IS
           DIFFERING OPINION AMONG DIFFERENT EXPERTS AS TO WHAT THESE
           IMPACTS ARE GOING TO BE, BUT THERE IS ONE AREA OF AGREEMENT.

           AND THAT IS IT HAS CHANGED AMERICAN COMMERCE AND PERHAPS THE
           WORLD'S COMMERCE AND FLOW OF INFORMATION IN A WAY THAT WILL
           FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE A LOT OF THE PRECEPTS UNDER WHICH WE
           OPERATED SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. IF THE TRENDS
           SUGGESTED BY THIS PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS CONTINUE, I.T. AND
           ELECTRONIC COMMERCE CAN BE EXPECTED TO DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH
           FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. TO REALIZE THIS POTENTIAL, HOWEVER, THE
           PRIVATE SECTOR AND GOVERNMENTS MUST WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A

           PREDICTABLE, MARKET-DRIVEN LEGAL FRAMEWORK TO FACILITATE
           ELECTRONIC COMMERCE. TO CREATE NONBUREAUCRATIC MEANS TO ENSURE
           THAT THE INTERNET IS A SAFE ENVIRONMENT AND TO CREATE HUMAN
           RESOURCE POLICIES THAT ENDOW STUDENTS AND WORKERS WITH THE
           SKILLS NECESSARY FOR JOBS IN THE NEW DIGITAL ECONOMY. THUS, IN
           REAL TERMS, THE EXPANSION OF THE I.T. SECTOR ACCOUNTS FOR AN
           EVEN LARGER SHARE OF OVERALL ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE MID TO LATE
           1990'S. IN RECENT YEARS I.T. INDUSTRIES HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE

           FOR MORE THAN ONE-QUARTER OF REAL ECONOMIC GROWTH. DESPITE
           THESE IMPRESSIVE TRENDS, THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IS JUST
           BEGINNING. GROWTH COULD ACCELERATE IN THE COMING YEARS NOT ONLY
           IN THE I.T. SECTOR ITSELF BUT ACROSS ALL SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY
           AS A NUMBER OF PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET MULTIPLIES AND
           ITS COMMERCIAL USE GROWS. THE GROWTH WILL BE DRIVEN BY FOUR
           TYPES OF ECONOMIC
           
           ACTIVITY: BUILDING OUT THE INTERNET. IN 1994, THREE MILLION
           PEOPLE, MOST OF THEM IN THE UNITED STATES, USED THE INTERNET.

           IN 1998, 100 MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD USED THE INTERNET.
           SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT ONE BILLION PEOPLE MAY BE CONNECTED
           TO THE INTERNET BY 2005. THIS EXPANSION IS DRIVING DRAMATIC
           INCREASES IN COMPUTER SOFT WARE SERVICES AND COMMUNICATIONS
           INVESTMENTS. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE AMONG BUSINESSES. BUSINESSES
           BEGAN USING THE INTERNET FOR COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS WITH THEIR
           BUSINESS PARTNERS ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. EARLY USERS ALREADY
           REPORT SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS FROM USING

           ELECTRONIC NETWORKS TO CREATE BUY, DISTRIBUTE, SELL AND SERVICE
           PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. BY 2002, THE INTERNET MAY BE USED FOR
           MORE THAN $300 BILLION WORTH OF COMMERCE BETWEEN BUSINESSES.
           DIGITAL DELIVERY OF GOODS AND SERVICES -- SOFTWARE PROGRAMS,
           NEWSPAPERS AND MUSIC C.D.'S NO LONGER NEED TO BE PACKAGED AND
           DELIVERED TO STORES, HOMES OR NEWS COSTS. THEY CAN BE DELIVERED
           ELECTRONICALLY OVER THE INTERNET. AIRLINE TICKETS AND

           SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS OVER THE INTERNET ALREADY OCCUR IN
           LARGE NUMBERS. OTHER INDUSTRIES, SUCH AS CONSULTING SERVICES,
           ENTERTAINMENT, BANKING INSURANCE, EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE
           FACE SOME HURDLES BUT ARE ALSO BEGINNING TO USE THE INTERNET TO
           CHANGE THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS. OVER TIME, THE SALE AND
           TRANSMISSION OF GOODS AND SERVICES ELECTRONICALLY IS LIKELY TO
           BE THE LARGEST AND MOST VISIBLE DRIVER OF THE NEW DIGITAL
           ECONOMY. RETAIL SALE OF TANGIBLE GOODS -- THE INTERNET CAN BE

           USED TO ORDER TANGIBLE GOODS AND SERVICES THAT ARE PRODUCED,
           STORED AND PHYSICALLY DELIVERED. THROUGH INTERNET SALES --
           THOUGH INTERNET SALES ARE LESS THAN 1% OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES
           TODAY, SALES OF CERTAIN PRODUCTS, SUCH AS COMPUTERS, SOFTWARE,
           CARS, BOOKS AND FLOWERS, ARE GROWING RAPIDLY. WHERE ADVANCES IN
           TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTING LARGELY OCCURRED SIDE BY SIDE
           IN THE PAST, TODAY THEY CONVERGE IN THE INTERNET. SOON
           VIRTUALLY ALL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT WILL BE PART OF

           INTERLINKED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS WHETHER INTERNAL TO A
           BUSINESS, BETWEEN BUSINESSES, BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND
           BUSINESSES OR INDIVIDUAL TO INDIVIDUAL. HOWEVER MEASURED, THE
           INTERNET IS EXPANDING AT A VERY RAPID PACE. FOR INSTANCE, THE
           NUMBER OF AMERICANS USING THE INTERNET HAS GROWN FROM FEWER
           THAN 5 MILLION IN 1993 TO AS MANY AS 62 MILLION BY 1997. THE
           NUMBER OF NAMES REGISTERED IN THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEMS GREW FROM
           26,000 IN JULY 1993 TO 1.3 MILLION IN FOUR YEARS. IN JANUARY

           1995, JUST OVER 27,000 TOP-LEVEL COMMUTER DOMAIN NAMES WERE
           ASSIGNED. MOST BUSINESSES USE THEM FOR LITTLE MORE THAN POSTING
           PRODUCT AND COMPANY DESCRIPTIONS, STORE LOCATIONS, ANNUAL
           REPORTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO CONTACT CORPORATE
           HEADQUARTERS. TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER COMMERCIAL DOMAIN
           NAMES NUMBER NEARLY A MILLION. STATIC GROCERS AND BILLBOARDS
           ARE GIVEN AWAY TO BUSINESSES OFFERING FINANCE SERVICES, NEWS
           AND INFORMATION, MANUFACTURE GOODS AND TRAVEL TO INDIVIDUALS

           AND BUSINESSES. TO MEET THIS INCREASED DEMAND, CONSUMER
           ELECTRONIC COMPANIES, MEDIA GIANTS, PHONE COMPANIES, COMPUTER
           COMPANIES, SOFTWARE FIRMS, SATELLITE BUILDERS, CELL PHONE
           BUSINESSES, INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, TELEVISION, CABLE
           COMPANIES AND IN A FEW CASES ELECTRIC UTILITIES ARE
           AGGRESSIVELY INVESTING TO BUILD OUT THE INTERNET. MADAM
           PRESIDENT, I MADE THE OPENING STATEMENT AS WE TAKE UP, FRANKLY,
           WHAT ARE SOME VERY MODEST BILLS, PIECES OF LEGISLATION WHICH

           HAVE TO DO WITH THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY. I HOPE THIS IS
           A BEGINNING. MY FUNDAMENTAL PREMISE IS THAT WE SHOULD GET OUT
           OF THE WAY AND STAY OUT OF THE WAY OF THIS BURGEONING AND
           INCREDIBLE REVOLUTION WE'RE SEEING TAKE PLACE THROUGHOUT THE
           WORLD.
{END: 1998/05/11 TIME: 15-15 , Mon.  105TH SENATE, SECOND SESSION}