Mr. President, I will not give this entire speech, much to the glee of my comrades in arms here this Friday afternoon, but I will summarize, basically, what this amendment is all about.<p>
Next Tuesday, February 28, this body, if it provides 67 votes needed to pass this constitutional amendment, the pending balanced budget amendment will go to be ratified or rejected by our 50 States.<p>
This is not just an event or happening that takes place every day or every week around this body. Fortunately, it is very rare. Fortunately, we are putting a high priority on this particular debate, focusing on this particular issue.<p>
The Senator from Tennessee eloquently a few moments ago stated what a good debate this has been. And truly, that is the nature, that is the soul of the U.S. Senate, to have debates like this on issues of great national interest such as the balanced budget amendment.<p>
Accompanying this amendment when it leaves this body--there will not be with it a budget plan, there will not be a report, there will be no study that accompanies this amendment, there will be no options for the States, there will be no notion, no inkling, of information that a State can use to judge the impact that the balanced budget amendment would have on the people of their respective States.<p>
Down there in the Tennessee State Legislature, they will call up this balanced budget amendment, as they will across the river in Arkansas, and they are going to be voting on this amendment, Mr. President. And they are not going to have anything to go by as to how it is going to affect the State programs or the Federal programs whereby we send money to the States for the States to use to provide services.</body>
