Senate negotiations continued late Monday night on omnibus parks legislation, as senators sought a way to bring the bill to a floor vote.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said senators were working with the Clinton administration to get agreement on the bill. Lott said he hoped to forge an agreement that could pass on a voice vote, "but we're not there yet." The Senate may be able to vote on the bill today or Wednesday, Lott said.
Senate Majority Whip Don Nickles, R-Okla., said Republicans are seeking to add several more provisions to the parks bill and send it back to the House, which would have to give the measure a voice vote. However, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a strong bill supporter, said any changes to the House-passed bill would sink the package. Other sources said the House bill may be open to minor changes. One of the dangers of amending the House bill, sources said, is the possibility of provoking a veto. But Nickles said that, except for provisions related to Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the provisions some Republicans are seeking to add should not cause a veto.
Support for the parks bill passed by the House Saturday is strong among Republican senators, according to a Senate GOP source, who suggested Republicans would suffer among the voters if Congress fails to pass a parks bill. In addition, the source said senators may be less willing to cooperate with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, next year if he blocks passage of the bill. Murkowski is seeking inclusion of the Tongass provisions.
Boxer said she and others still are "looking for a way forward." Earlier in the day, Murkowski had sought a letter from the administration saying it would act to ensure a steady supply of timber to two sawmills from the Tongass National Forest, sources said. However, later in the day, sources said he also was seeking amendments to the House bill.
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