Overview

I want to thank the Chairman for working with me and other members of the Committee on today’s agenda. I hope that we will be able to make significant progress today on the nominations and legislative items on the agenda. We have been able to include several items of interest to members of the Committee from both sides of the aisle and many bipartisan matters that merit broad support.

Nominations

I am particularly pleased that the Committee is preparing to consider and report favorably the nominations of Dan Marcus to be Associate Attorney General and David Ogden to head the Civil Division.

I will continue working for the consideration of the many nominees to other important law enforcement positions, such as our U.S. Marshals and U.S. Attorneys around the country. We have several nominees who should be considered without further delay by this Committee and several more who have been forestalled from Senate consideration for some time.

Last week and on Tuesday I also noted that we need to proceed to report the nominations of Judge Johnnie Rawlinson to the Ninth Circuit, Bonnie Campbell to the Eighth Circuit and Allen Snyder to the D.C. Circuit. All are qualified candidates who have had their hearings and who are ready for favorable reporting to the Senate for final action on their confirmations.

We heard Tuesday that the Chairman is noticing another judicial confirmation hearing for early July, and I look forward to another outstanding group of judicial nominees being considered at that hearing to help fill the 64 vacancies that continue to plague our federal courts.

Legislation

On the legislative calendar, I note that in addition to the items listed today, we continue to work on other consensus items that can be included on our next agenda by agreement and be reported to the Senate.

Violence Against Women Act

I am pleased to see the agenda this week includes a place for the bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act on which Senator Biden and Senator Hatch have been consulting for so long and that so many of us cosponsored when it was introduced earlier this week as S.2787. I hope that we can move forward on this important measure in a bipartisan manner without unnecessary delay. For our part we have sought to withhold on any amendments in an effort to expedite this matter for floor consideration. I urge all members of the Committee to cooperate in that effort.

Bulletproof Vest Grant Partnership Act

I had asked last month, in connection with National Police Week, that the Committee take up S.2413, the bill that I introduced with Senators Campbell, Hatch, Thurmond, Kohl, Schumer and others to improve our Bulletproof Vest Grant Partnership Act by reauthorizing the program for another 3 years and raising the annual appropriation to $50 million.

I look forward to the Committee acting on this bill today along with the Persian Gulf Evacuee Private Relief Bill, H.R. 3646, and the private relief bill for Mina Notash offered by Senator Feinstein, S.869.

I understand that the other bills will be held over to be worked out and approved at our next meeting. Those include Senator Feinstein’s resolution condemning prejudice against individuals of Asian-Pacific ancestry, S. Con. Res. 53, the Fugitive Apprehension Act of 2000, S.2516, which Senator Thurmond and Biden introduced, and the Interstate Transportation of Dangerous Criminals Act, S.1898, which Senator Dorgan and Ashcroft have sponsored.

On the issue of internet security, there are a number of bills that have been introduced. I would hope that we could develop a consensus bill from our various bills and proposals and report it to the Senate for consideration. In addition to the Chairman and Senator DeWine, Senator Schumer is very interested in these matters, as are a number of Senators serving on this Committee.

Class Actions

I expect that the bulk of our time again today will be spent on the bill to federalize class actions. A number of very powerful opening statements have already been made. I know that Senator Kennedy wanted to make an opening statement, but has been required on the Senate floor, so we will proceed to consider amendments to the measure.