A resolution commending the Grand Ole Opry on the occasion of its 80th anniversary for its important role in the popularization of country music and for its 8 decades of musical and broadcast excellence.

Mr. President, I would like to give notice to Members and staff of the Senate that the Committee on Rules and Administration (``Committee'') has approved amendments to four Committee regulations. Pursuant to Title V of the Rules of Procedure for the Committee and having provided advance notice of our intention to approve the following amendments to regulations, we hereby approve said amendments effective February 1, 2005.

1. The following regulations are approved as amended:

A. Committee Regulations for Furniture, Accessories and Special Allowances Policy for Senate Office Buildings, as amended by adding, deleting and substituting as follows:

Delete the second sentence in item 5 which reads ``However, once modular is chosen for a suite, it shall remain a part of that suite regardless of which Senator occupies the space.''

Under Section A in item 5, delete ``A.'' and the words ``of funding for this program'' and substitute ``and the order in which the request is received.''

Delete Sections B and C in item 5.

Delete item 7.

At the end of second sentence in item 8 add the following: ``or through the Senate Furniture web system.''

Under Section A in item 8 delete the words ``to be transferred to the intended office'' at the end of the sentence and substitute ``by the Committee on Rules and Administration prior the transfer.''

At the end of first sentence in item 9 add the following: ``available for viewing through the Senate Furniture web system (http:// senate.aoc.gov)''

Under Standard Furniture and Accessories, Senators' Suites--

1. Delete ``Chairs--Ergonomic (with or without arms)''

2. Delete ``Chairs--Folding Chairs''

3. After ``Chairs--Conference'' add ``(with or without arms)''

4. Delete ``Chairs--Reception'' and substitute ``Chairs--Desk (with or without arms)''

5. Delete ``Chairs--Reception (without arms)''

6. Delete ``Chairs--Secretary''

7. Delete ``Coats--Rack''

8. Add ``Credenza--(Conference room & Front office only)''

9. Delete ``Desk--Secretary'' and substitute ``Desk--L-Shape''

10. After ``Fireplace--Screens'' add ``(Russell SOB only)''

11. After ``Fireplace--Tools'' add ``(Russell SOB only)''

12. After ``Lighting--Ceiling (Chandelier)'' delete ``Fixtures (Reception and Conference Rooms in Russell SOB only, no more than 2 total)'' and add ``in Russell SOB only, (Reception Rooms, Conference Rooms and Senator's Personal Office, limited to 3 total)''

13. After ``Lighting--Floor Lamps'' add ``2 per office''

14. Delete ``Lighting--Reading Lamps''

15. Delete ``Magazine Rack''

16. Delete ``Microfilm Cabinets''

17. Delete ``Modular Furniture--Limited to Hart SOB for now)''

18. Delete ``Partitions--Textures (i.e. wood)''

19. After ``Refrigerator--Medium'' add ``Not to exceed 3 total''

20. Delete ``Stand--Smoke (Ashtray)''

21. Delete ``Tables--Folding''

22. Delete ``Window--Venetian Blinds (2 inch, Russell and Dirksen SOB's only)''

23. Delete ``Window--Mini Blinds (Hart SOB only)''

Under Senators' Personal Offices--

1. Delete ``(Bathroom)--(Vanity under sink)*''

2. Delete ``(Bathroom)--(Cabinet over/next to sink)*''

3. Delete ``Chairs--Reception'' and add ``Chairs--Side (with arms or without arms)''

4. Delete ``Chairs--Reception (without arms)''

5. After ``Chairs--Overstuffed'' add ``(Historic)''

6. Delete ``Lighting--Reading Light''

7. After ``Lighting--Ceiling (Chandelier)'' delete ``Fixture (Russell SOB only) and add ``in Russell SOB only, (Reception Rooms, Conference Rooms and Senator's Personal Office, limited to 3 total)''

8. Delete ``TV Cabinet'' and add ``TV/VRC Cabinet''

9. Delete ``VRC Cabinet''

10. Delete ``Upholstery Fabric''

11. Delete ``Wardrober''

12. Delete ``Window--Curtains or Draperies''

13. Delete ``Window--Venetian Blinds (wood or metal)''

14. Delete ``Window--Mini Blinds''

15. Delete ``* Standard part of building structure''

After heading ``For Loan (for Meetings and Related'' add ``Functions)''

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing Furniture, Accessories and Special Allowances Policy for Senate Office Buildings, as amended, is included as Attachment A.

B. Committee Regulations Governing Senate Travel and Travel Promotional Awards, as amended, by deleting paragraphs five and six in Section II(A)(3)(b) and related Appendix A and substituting as follows:

Travel promotional awards (e.g. free travel, travel

discounts, upgrade certificates, coupons, frequent flyer

miles, access to carrier club facilities, and other similar

travel promotional items (``Travel Awards'')) obtained by a

Member, officer or employee of the Senate while on official

travel may be utilized for personal use at the discretion of

the Member or officer pursuant to this section. Travel Awards

may be retained and used at the sole discretion of the Member

or officer only if the Travel Awards are obtained under the

same terms and conditions as those offered to the general

public and no favorable treatment is extended on the basis of

the Member, officer or employee's position with the Federal

Government. Members, officers and employees may only retain

Travel Awards for personal use when such Travel Awards have

been obtained at no additional cost to the Federal

Government. It should be noted that any fees assessed in

connection with the use of Travel Awards shall be considered

a personal expense of the Member, officer or employee and

under no circumstances shall be paid for or reimbursed from

official funds. Although this paragraph permits Members,

officers and employees of the Senate to use Travel Awards at

the discretion of the Member or officer, the Committee

encourages the use of such Travel Awards (whenever

practicable) to offset the cost of future official travel.

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing Senate travel and Travel Promotional Awards, as amended, is included as Attachment B.

C. Committee Regulations for the Senate Health and Fitness Facility by the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, as amended, by deleting paragraph (d), Section 3 and substituting as follows:

The Facility and its equipment shall be available for use

by all Members of the United States Senate upon the payment

of fees as determined by the Chairman and the Ranking Member

of the Committee on Rules and Administration. The Chairman

and Ranking Member of the Committee on Rules and

Administration shall notify the Secretary of the Senate of

the amount of any fees to be charged hereunder and direct the

Financial Clerk of the Senate to collect such fees from those

Members desiring to use the Facility.

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing the Senate Health and Fitness Facility, as amended, is included as Attachment C.

D. Committee Regulations governing Public Transportation Subsidy, as amended by deleting and substituting as follows:

In the first sentence of Section 2, substitute ``(P.L. 105-178)'' for ``(P.L. 105-78)''.

In the first sentence of Section 2, substitute ``$105'' for ``$100''.

In item (a) of Section 4, substitute ``$105'' for ``$100''.

In the second sentence of third paragraph of Section 6, substitute ``employee'' for ``employer''.

In item (c) of Section 7, substitute ``$105'' for ``$100''.

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing Public Transportation Subsidy, as amended, is included as Attachment D.

Attachment A--Furniture, Accessories and Special Allowances Policy for

Senate Office Buildings

(Approved September 27, 1989)

(Amended June 29, 1994)

(Amended February 28, 2004)

1. Pursuant to 40 U.S.C. 174c, furnishings for offices in

the Senate Office Buildings are supplied and maintained by

the Architect of the Capitol through his representative, the

Superintendent of the Senate Office Buildings. Matters of

general policy are subject to the approval of the Senate

Committee on Rules and Administration.

2. Effective on the date of adoption of this policy by the

Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the

Superintendent of the Senate Office Buildings shall undertake

to survey the physical quality of all furnishings presently

assigned to offices. Thereafter, a survey will be conducted

on an annual basis. Office heads, as defined in the Senate

Equipment Regulations, should work with the Superintendent's

Office to identify furnishings that do not meet an acceptable

level of quality.

3. When the survey is completed, all items on the Standard

Furniture and Accessories list that are in disrepair will be

declared ``surplus'' and/or repaired. This does not preclude

repairs as needed irrespective of survey timing. No

furnishings will be delivered to an office unless they are

functional and in quality condition.

4. The Superintendent's Office will maintain a full

inventory of all furnishings assigned to designated suites,

including documentation of furnishings provided from the

Standard Furniture and Accessories list, and items purchased

from the Senators' special furniture and accessory allowance.

5. Senators with suites in the Russell or Dirksen Buildings

shall have the option of using traditional or modular

furniture to create an effective office environment.

[However, once modular is chosen for a suite, it shall remain

a part of that suite regardless of which Senator occupies the

space.] A Senator electing to use modular furniture in

Russell or Dirksen shall use the modular system in the suite

except for the Senator's personal office, reception room, and

conference room.

[A.] Modular furniture will be offered to Senators in

Russell and Dirksen based upon the availability and the order

in which the request is received. [of funding for this

program.]

[B. Modular furniture will be offered to Senators with

suites in the Russell and Dirksen Buildings on a seniority

basis until all Senators have had the opportunity to elect to

use modular furniture.

[C. Senators not electing initially to use modular

furniture in Russell or Dirksen must wait until all other

Senators on the current list have been offered modular

furniture and have elected to accept or have declined. The

updated seniority list shall apply after Senate moves.]

6. Senators in the Hart Building shall utilize modular

furniture as the basic system of furnishing. The actual

system of furniture in place in a suite in the Hart Building

shall remain in the same suite regardless of which Senator

occupies the space.

In the Hart Building, traditional furniture may be chosen

for the Senator's personal office, the Chief of Staff's

office, the reception area and the conference room.

[7. Modular panels shall not be provided in any private

offices.]

8. Only a Senator or the designated office head of each

Senate office will have the authority to request furniture

and furnishings in an office. Such requests may be made by

submitting a ``Request for Service'', letter or through the

Senate Furniture web system. Written confirmation of a

telephone request to the Superintendent of the Senate Office

Buildings also will be accepted. Office heads should be

designated in writing and a file of these names will be

maintained by the Superintendent's Office.

The transfer of furniture from one official office

inventory to another may be authorized based upon the

following:

A. All furniture items to be transferred from one Senate

office or Committee to another Senate office or Committee

must be authorized by the Committee on Rules and

Administration prior the transfer. [to be transferred to the

intended office.]

B. The Senator, Committee Chairman or designated office

head must agree to the release of the furniture on a Request

for Furniture form providing for the removal of those items

from their office inventory. Additional furniture intended to

replace the furniture proposed for transfer shall be

requested simultaneously on a Request for Furniture form.

C. The Senator, Committee Chairman or designated office

head receiving the transferred furniture must agree to its

receipt on a Request for Furniture form so that the furniture

can be incorporated into their office inventory.

The Superintendent shall adjust the official office

inventories based upon completion of the issuance or return

of furniture items.

9. The Architect of the Capitol will maintain in stock an

inventory of the following items, referred to hereafter as

the Standard Furniture and Accessories list, available for

viewing through the Senate Furniture web system (http:/// senate.aoc.gov):

Standard Furniture and Accessories--Senators' Suites

Bookcase--See Shelves; Chair Mats; [Chairs--Ergonomic (with

or without arms); [Chairs--Folding Chairs]; Chairs--

Conference (with or without arms); Chairs--Desk [Reception]

(with or without arms); [Chairs--Reception--without arms];

Chairs--Executive; [Chairs--Secretary]; Coats--Tree; [Coats--

Rack]; Credenza--(Conference room & Front office only);

Desk--Computer; Desk--Half size; Desk--Flat Top

Executive; Desk--[Secretary] L-Shape.

Fans & Heaters; File Cabinets--Lateral 2-Drawer; File

Cabinets--Lateral 5-Drawer; File Cabinets--2-Drawer; File

Cabinets--5-Drawer; Fireplace--Screens (Russell SOB only);

Fireplace--Tools (Russell SOB only); Footrests--Furniture or

Computer; Lighting--Ceiling (Chandelier) [Fixtures (Reception

and Conference Rooms in Russell SOB only, no more than 2

total)] in Russell SOB only (Reception Rooms, Conference

Rooms and Senator's Personal Office, limited to 3 total);

Lighting--Floor Lamps (2 per office); [Lighting--Reading

Lamps]; Lighting--Desk/Table Lamps; [Magazine Rack];

[Microfilm Cabinets]; Mirrors--(One per suite standard);

[Modular Furniture--(Limited to Hart SOB for now).

[Partitions--Textured (i.e. wood)]; Partitions--Acoustical;

Racks--Pamphlets; Refrigerator--Medium (Not to exceed 3

total); Shelves--Open Shelves (Book); Shelves--Desk

Organizers; Shelves--Cabinets (with doors); Sofa--Love seat;

Sofa--Couch; [Stand--Smoke (Ashtray)]; Stand--Telephone;

Stand--Plant; Tables--Conference; Tables--Round; Tables--

Computer; Tables--Coffee; Tables--End; [Tables--Folding];

Tables--Other (assorted sizes); TV Stand; [Window--Venetian

Blinds (2-inch, Russell and Dirksen SOBs only); [Window--Mini

Blinds (Hart SOB only)].

Senators' Personal Offices

[(Bathroom)--(Vanity-under sink*); [(Bathroom)--(Cabinet-

over/next to sink)*]; Cabinet--Telephone; Chairs--High Back

(Desk); Chairs--Side [Reception]-(with arms or without arms);

[Chairs--Reception-without arms]; Chairs--Wingback; Chairs--

Overstuffed (Historic); Credenza; Desk; Lighting--Table Lamp;

Lighting--Floor Lamp; [Lighting--Reading Light]; Lighting--

Ceiling (Chandelier) [Fixture (Russell SOB only)] in Russell

SOB only, (Reception Rooms, Conference Rooms and Senator's

Personal Office, limited to 3 total); Lighting--Mantle

Fixtures (Russell SOB only); Lighting--Wall (Sconce) Fixtures

(Russell SOB only); Lighting--Rheostat.

Mirror; Refrigerator--Compact; Shelves--Bookcases;

Shelves--Cabinet; Sofa--Love seat; Sofa--Couch; Table--

Coffee; Table--End; TV/VCR Cabinet; [VCR Cabinet; [Upholstery

Fabric; [Wardrober; [Window--Curtains or Draperies; [Window--

Venetian Blinds (wood or metal); [Window--Mini Blinds.

[*Standard part of building structure]

For Loan (for Meetings and Related Functions)

Blackboards, Easels, Folding Tables, Piano (small charge

for tuning), Podiums, Stacking Chairs.

10. A Special Furniture and Accessory Allowance will be

authorized to the Architect of the Capitol for the purpose of

furnishing a Senator's personal office, reception room and

conference room when a Senator is elected/reelected for a

term of office. This will be in addition to the furnishings

requested from the Standard Furniture and Accessories list

and only will be authorized during the first year of each

Senator's new term of office. Such amount will be determined

by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration as a

recommendation for appropriation to the Architect of the

Capitol to become available for the Senator's term of office.

Provisions will be made for Senators to purchase through this

special allowance furniture and accessory items which are

unique to their offices and/or home state. All acquisitions

from this allowance will be made by the Architect of the

Capitol in consultation with the office head.

11. A ``Request for Service'' or other written request for

furnishings will be acknowledged within five working days

reflecting appropriate disposition of the request. If

requests are made for items critical to the function of the

office which are not on the Standard Furniture and Accessory

list or are out of stock, and delivery/restock is not

anticipated for three months or greater, an office head may

submit a request in writing to the Chairman of the Senate

Committee on Rules and Administration. If requests are made

for special items, as part of the Special Furniture and

Accessory Allowance, appropriate information should be

attached from a

commercial supplier or a catalogue from which the items are

available. If favorably acted upon by the Rules Committee, an

approval to purchase will be forwarded to the Architect's

Office.

12. Certain furniture and accessory items may be built to

published plans, including typewriter racks and table

platforms for computer work stations, open shelves and

sorting racks for desks and tables, and bookshelves, in

accordance with a standard catalogue provided by the

Superintendent. An office head may submit a written

request for an item by identifying it from the

Superintendent's catalogue of sketches.

13. Office heads may submit to the Senate Committee on

Rules and Administration at any time a request to add items

to the Standard Furniture and Accessory list. The Committee,

in consultation with the Architect of the Capitol, will

review the list annually to ensure that items continue to

meet the needs of Senate offices acknowledging changing

technology and staff environments.

14. Furnishings secured through the Architect of the

Capitol from the Senators' Special Furniture and Accessory

Allowance may be returned at the request of the office head

to the Architect's inventory. They then may be purchased at a

depreciated price with a Senator's personal funds or as a

charge to the Special Furniture and Accessory Allowance. All

returns will be made without credit to the original

purchaser's Special Furniture and Accessory Allowance.

15. The Committee on Rules and Administration, in

consultation with the Architect of the Capitol, will monitor

requests for non-standard items to preserve the architectural

conformity of the Senate Office Buildings.

16. Furniture is not authorized by statute to be purchased

through a Senator's Official Personnel and Office Expense

Account. However, T.V. stands and V.C.R. stands are

considered accessories to equipment and may be purchased in a

manner consistent with the statutes and regulations governing

the purchase of standard and non-standard equipment.

17. All furniture and accessories, whether chosen from the

Standard list or purchased from the Senators' Special

Furniture and Accessory Allowance, remain the property of the

Architect of the Capitol. Senators will be responsible for

any furniture stolen, lost, or otherwise unaccounted for, and

reimbursement for all losses will be made in an amount equal

to the fair market value of such furniture after applying an

appropriate depreciation.

18. The implementation of this policy is subject to the

availability of appropriated funds to the Architect of the

Capitol.

Approved: Committee on Rules and Administration.

Christopher J. Dodd,

Ranking Member.

Trent Lott,

Chairman.

Mr. President, I join the majority leader in the resolution that I have cosponsored honoring the Grand Ole Opry on its 80th birthday.

I ask unanimous consent to bring on the Senate floor this piece of demonstrative evidence which I hold in my hand and to which I will refer in a moment.

Those of us of a certain age will recognize this straw hat with a garland of flowers and a price tag that says $1.98 as the kind of hat that Minnie Pearl wore on the Grand Ole Opry on Friday and Saturday nights every year for about 40 years. Most of the time, Minnie Pearl was the Grand Ole Opry, along with Roy Acuff. She welcomed people with: Howdy, I'm so proud to be here. I didn't say it the way she would always say it. Thousands and thousands of Americans sat on the uncomfortable wooden pews in the back of the Ryman Auditorium and later at the Opry to watch this radio show. One of those was a young man from Minnesota named Garrison Keillor, who, in the 1970s, sat back there and imagined the show which we call today ``The Prairie Home Companion.''

A couple weekends ago, I was the guest announcer on the Grand Ole Opry. They didn't trust me with the Goo Goo candy bar commercial or with the 7 p.m. show which is nationally televised, so I was on at 8. But I did get to do the Martha White flour commercial and to introduce Porter Waggoner three times.

There is nothing quite like the Grand Ole Opry. There are 3,400 people out there every Friday night, every Saturday night, now sometimes on Tuesdays. Flashbulbs are popping. Everybody is having a good time.

There was Jimmy C. Newman from Louisiana who next year will be on the Grand Ole Opry for 50 years. There was Susan Haynes, the daughter of my law school roommate. This is her first year on the Grand Ole Opry. There was Carol Lee and Nora Lee, the back-up singers. They have been there a long time, too.

At 7 o'clock, there was Vince Gill who ended his hour-long session with a piece of jazz music. The Grand Ole Opry is getting more diversified. There was Keith Bilbrey backstage interviewing people. He was explaining what Charlie McCoy, the great harmonicist, once said about the four stages of being a country music star which sound a lot like being a politician. Stage No. 1 is, Who is Charlie McCoy? Stage No. 2 is, Get me Charlie McCoy. Stage No. 3 is, Get me somebody who sounds like Charlie McCoy. And stage No. 4 is, Who is Charlie McCoy?

The Opry was started so that the National Life and Accident Insurance Company could sell debit insurance. They got a big tower in Nashville. I think it is 50,000 watts. So all the people who were on little radio stations came to Nashville so they could be on the big radio station.

That is when Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins and Archie Grandpappy Campbell and Dolly Parton all moved from east Tennessee to Nashville. If you understand how important the Alamo is to Texas, you will understand how important the Grand Ole Opry is to Tennesseans, not just Tennesseans but many Americans, the 3,400 who every Friday and Saturday night have gone to thousands and thousands of these radio shows.

No one represented the Opry in its spirit better than Minnie Pearl. There is a photograph of Minnie in dressing room No. 1 backstage, which was Roy Acuff's dressing room until he died, which was the dressing room that Vince Gill was using on the night I was there as the guest announcer. There on the wall was a picture of a young Minnie Pearl in the early 1940s with this hat or a hat similar to this one.

Where did this $1.98 price tag come from? I heard the story that night for the first time. Minnie was performing on the Opry. She pinned a garland of flowers to her hat. And during her performance, this price tag wiggled down and started dangling from her hat. She left it there for the next 40 years as a reminder that anybody can make a mistake and it is all right to make one.

Minnie Pearl was a talented woman who wanted to be Katharine Hepburn. As she said, that was already taken. She set a standard of conduct and style for the Grand Ole Opry that lasts and persists until today, and that style was simply that she was just a very nice person. She would sign the last autograph; she would say hello to anyone; she would pay a call on a Grand Ole Opry family member who was sick; she would see the last fan who had waited for 2 hours after the show.

Minnie Pearl told me one time: I have gotten to the point in life where I have decided if people are not nice, they are not so hot in my book no matter how big they are.

So in the spirit of Minnie Pearl and all of the thousands of Americans who have created and enjoyed the Grand Ole Opry, happy 80th birthday, Grand Ole Opry.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 286, which was submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.