[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 12 (Wednesday, February 9, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: February 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1994
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the
Senate will now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 3759, which the
clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 3759) making emergency supplemental
appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1994,
and for other purposes.
The Senate proceeded to consider the bill, which had been reported
from the Committee on Appropriations, with an amendment to strike all
after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to provide emergency
supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 1994, and for other purposes, namely:
TITLE I--EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
CHAPTER 1
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Soil Conservation Service
watershed and flood prevention operations
For an additional amount for ``Watershed and flood
prevention operations'' to repair damage to the waterways and
watersheds resulting from the Midwest floods and California
fires of 1993 and other natural disasters, and for other
purposes, $340,500,000, to remain available until expended:
Provided, That not more than $50,000,000 of assistance shall
be made available where the primary beneficiary is
agriculture and agribusiness regardless of drainage size:
Provided further, That such amounts are designated by
Congress as emergency requirements pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended: Provided further, That if
the Secretary determines that the cost of land and levee
restoration exceeds the fair market value of an affected
cropland, the Secretary may use sufficient amounts from funds
provided under this heading to accept bids from willing
sellers to enroll such cropland inundated by the Midwest
floods of 1993 in any of the affected States in the Wetlands
Reserve Program, authorized by subchapter C of chapter 1 of
subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3837).
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
emergency conservation program
For an additional amount for ``Emergency conservation
program'' for expenses resulting from the Midwest floods and
California fires of 1993 and other natural disasters,
$25,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 1995:
Provided, That such amount is designated by Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, as amended.
Commodity Credit Corporation
Funds made available in Public Law 103-75 for the Commodity
Credit Corporation shall be available to fund the costs of
replanting, reseeding, or repairing damage to commercial
trees and seedlings, including orchard and nursery inventory
as a result of the Midwest Floods of 1993 or other natural
disasters: Provided, That the use of these funds for these
purposes is designated by Congress as an emergency
requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985 and that such use shall be
available only to the extent the President designates such
use an emergency requirement pursuant to such Act.
The second proviso of the matter under the heading
``disaster assistance'' under the heading ``Commodity Credit
Corporation'' of chapter I of the Supplemental Appropriations
Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-50; 107 Stat. 241) is amended by
inserting before the colon at the end the following: ``,
including payments to producers for the 1993, 1994, and 1995
crops of papaya if (1) the papaya would have been harvested
if the papaya plants had not been destroyed, and (2) the
papaya plants would not have produced fruit for a lifetime
total of more than 3 crop years based on normal cultivation
practices''. Payments under this paragraph shall be made only
to the extent that claims for the payments are filed not
later than the date that is 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act: Provided, That the use of funds for
this purpose is designated by Congress as an emergency
requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985 and that such use shall be
available only to the extent the President designates such
use an emergency requirement pursuant to such Act.
CHAPTER 2
DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED
AGENCIES
RELATED AGENCY
Small Business Administration
disaster loans program account
For an additional amount for emergency expenses resulting
from the January 1994 earthquake in Southern California and
other disasters, $309,750,000, to remain available until
expended, of which up to $55,000,000 may be transferred to
and merged with the appropriations for ``Salaries and
expenses'' for associated administrative expenses: Provided,
That the entire amount is designated by Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, as amended.
administrative provision
Section 24 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 651) is
amended in subsection (a) by striking the period at the end
thereof and by inserting in lieu thereof the following: ``,
and shall give priority to a proposal to restore an area
determined to be a major disaster by the President on a date
not more than three years prior to the fiscal year for which
the application is made.''.
CHAPTER 3
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE--MILITARY
MILITARY PERSONNEL
Military Personnel, Army
For an additional amount for ``Military Personnel, Army'',
$6,600,000: Provided, That the entire amount is designated by
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Military Personnel, Navy
For an additional amount for ``Military Personnel, Navy'',
$19,400,000: Provided, That the entire amount is designated
by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Military Personnel, Air Force
For an additional amount for ``Military Personnel, Air
Force'', $18,400,000: Provided, That the entire amount is
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
Operation and Maintenance, Army
For an additional amount for ``Operation and Maintenance,
Army'', $420,100,000: Provided, That the entire amount is
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Operation and Maintenance, Navy
For an additional amount for ``Operation and Maintenance,
Navy'', $104,800,000: Provided, That the entire amount is
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Operation and Maintenance, Air Force
For an additional amount for ``Operation and Maintenance,
Air Force'', $560,100,000: Provided, That the entire amount
is designated by Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide
For an additional amount for ``Operation and Maintenance,
Defense-Wide'', $21,600,000: Provided, That the entire amount
is designated by Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
PROCUREMENT
Aircraft Procurement, Army
For an additional amount for ``Aircraft Procurement,
Army'', $20,300,000, to remain available for obligation until
September 30, 1996: Provided, That the entire amount is
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Other Procurement, Army
For an additional amount for ``Other Procurement, Army'',
$200,000, to remain available for obligation until September
30, 1996: Provided, That the entire amount is designated by
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Other Procurement, Air Force
For an additional amount for ``Other Procurement, Air
Force'', $26,800,000, to remain available for obligation
until September 30, 1996: Provided, That the entire amount is
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
GENERAL PROVISIONS--CHAPTER 3
Sec. 301. Notwithstanding sections 607 and 630 of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2357 and 22 U.S.C.
2390), reimbursements received from the United Nations for
expenses of the Department of Defense charged to the
appropriations provided by this Act shall be deposited to the
miscellaneous receipts of the Treasury.
Sec. 302. Funds appropriated in this chapter shall only be
obligated and expended to fund the incremental and associated
costs of the Department of Defense incurred in connection
with the ongoing United States operations relating to
Somalia; the ongoing United States humanitarian airdrops,
hospital operations, and enforcement of the no-fly zone
relating to Bosnia; the ongoing United States operations
relating to Southwest Asia; and the ongoing United States
operations supporting the maritime interception operations
relating to Haiti.
CHAPTER 4
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE--CIVIL
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Corps of Engineers--Civil
Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies
For an additional amount for ``Flood control and coastal
emergencies'', $70,000,000, to remain available until
expended: Provided, That such amount is designated by
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
The prohibition against obligating funds for construction
until sixty days from the date the Secretary transmits a
report to the Congress in accordance with section 5 of the
Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 509) is
waived for the Crooked River Project, Ochoco Dam, Oregon, to
allow for an earlier start of emergency repair work.
CHAPTER 5
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AND RELATED
AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
low-income home energy assistance
Of the amounts provided under this heading in Public Law
103-112 and designated by Congress as an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as
amended, subject to the terms and conditions specified in
Public Law 103-112, $300,000,000, if designated by the
President as an emergency, may be allotted by the Secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Services, as she
determines is appropriate, to any one or more of the
jurisdictions funded under title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1981, to meet emergency needs.
The second paragraph under this heading in Public Law 102-
394 is amended as follows: strike ``June 30, 1994'' and
insert ``September 30, 1994''.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
impact aid
For carrying out disaster assistance activities resulting
from the January 1994 earthquake in Southern California and
other disasters as authorized under section 7 of Public Law
81-874, $165,000,000, to remain available through September
30, 1995: Provided, That the entire amount is designated by
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
student financial assistance
For an additional amount for ``Student financial
assistance'' for payment of awards made under title IV, part
A, subpart 1 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended,
$80,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 1995:
Provided, That notwithstanding sections 442(e) and 462(j) of
such Act, the Secretary may reallocate, for use in award year
1994-1995 only, any excess funds returned to the Secretary of
Education under the Federal Work-Study or Federal Perkins
Loan programs from award year 1993-1994 to assist individuals
who suffered financial harm from the January 1994 earthquake
in Southern California and other disasters: Provided further,
That the entire amount is designated by Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, as amended: Provided further, That fiscal year 1992
Federal Work-Study and Federal Perkins Loan funds that were
reallocated to institutions for use in award year 1993-1994,
pursuant to Public Law 103-75, and fiscal year 1992 Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant funds that were
reallocated to institutions by the Secretary for use in award
year 1993-1994, pursuant to section 413D(e) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as amended, to assist individuals who
suffered financial harm as a result of the Midwest floods of
1993 shall remain available for use in award year 1994-1995
by institutions that received such reallocations.
CHAPTER 6
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
Federal-Aid Highways
emergency relief program
(highway trust fund)
For the Emergency Fund authorized by 23 U.S.C. 125 to cover
expenses arising from the January 1994 earthquake in Southern
California and other disasters, $950,000,000; and in addition
$400,000,000, which shall be available only to the extent an
official budget request for a specific dollar amount, that
includes designation of the entire amount of the request as
an emergency requirement as defined in the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, is
transmitted by the President to the Congress, all to be
derived from the Highway Trust Fund and to remain available
until expended: Provided, That the entire amount is
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended: Provided
further, That the limitation on obligations per State in 23
U.S.C. 125(b) shall not apply to projects relating to such
earthquake: Provided further, That notwithstanding 23 U.S.C.
120(e), the Federal share for any project on the Federal-aid
highway system related to such earthquake shall be 100
percent for the costs incurred in the 180 day period
beginning on the date of the earthquake: Provided further,
That project costs incurred prior to implementation of this
bill and subsequent to the January 17, 1994, Northridge
Earthquake, that are funded from other than Federal Emergency
Relief funds that were otherwise eligible for Emergency
Relief funding, are approved for Emergency Relief funds and
such costs regardless of initial funding sources are to be
reimbursed with Emergency Relief funds: Provided further,
That notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the funds
made available by the Dire Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 1992 (Public Law 102-368) under ``Federal
Highway Administration, Metropolitan Planning (Highway Trust
Fund),'' $337,000 of the funds received by Hawaii shall be
made available by the State of Hawaii directly to the County
of Kauai, Hawaii, for conducting comprehensive reviews of
transportation infrastructure needs incurred in connection
with Hurricane Iniki, and, these funds shall remain available
until expended.
In addition, for emergency expenses resulting from the Loma
Prieta earthquake of October 17, 1989, as authorized by 23
U.S.C. 125, $315,000,000, to be derived from the Highway
Trust Fund and to remain available until expended: Provided,
That such amount is designated by Congress as an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as
amended.
CHAPTER 7
DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Veterans Health Administration
medical care
For an additional amount for emergency expenses resulting
from the January 1994 earthquake in Southern California,
$21,000,000, to remain available until expended, of which not
to exceed $802,000 is available for transfer to General
Operating Expenses, the Guaranty and Indemnity Program
Account, and the Vocational Rehabilitation Loans Program
Account: Provided, That the entire amount is designated by
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
construction, major projects
For an additional amount for ``Construction, major
projects'' for emergency expenses resulting from the January
1994 earthquake in Southern California and other disasters,
$45,600,000, to remain available until expended, of which
such sums as may be necessary may be transferred to the
``Medical care'' and ``Construction, minor projects''
accounts: Provided, That the entire amount is designated by
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Housing Programs
annual contributions for assisted housing
For an additional amount under this head, $225,000,000, to
remain available until December 31, 1995, of which
$200,000,000 shall be for rental assistance under the section
8 existing housing certificate program (42 U.S.C. 1437f) and
the housing voucher program under section 8(o) of the United
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), and
$25,000,000 shall be for the modernization of existing public
housing projects pursuant to section 14 of the United States
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437l): Provided, That these
funds shall be used first to replenish amounts used from the
headquarters reserve established pursuant by section
213(d)(4)(A) of the Housing and Community Development Act of
1974, as amended, for assistance to victims of the January
1994 earthquake in Southern California: Provided further,
That any amounts remaining after the headquarters reserve has
been replenished shall be available under such programs for
additional assistance to victims of the earthquake referred
to above: Provided further, That in administering these
funds, the Secretary may waive or specify alternative
requirements for any provision of any statute or regulation
that the Secretary administers in connection with the
obligation by the Secretary or any use by the recipient of
these funds, except for the requirements relating to fair
housing and nondiscrimination, the environment, and labor
standards, upon finding that such waiver is required to
facilitate the obligation and use of such funds and would not
be inconsistent with the overall purpose of the statute or
regulation: Provided further, That the entire amount is
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
flexible subsidy fund
For emergency assistance to owners of eligible multifamily
housing projects damaged by the January 1994 earthquake in
Southern California who are either insured or formerly
insured under the National Housing Act, as amended, or
otherwise eligible for assistance under section 201(c) of the
Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978, as
amended (12 U.S.C. 1715z-1a), in the program of assistance
for troubled multifamily housing projects under the Housing
and Community Development Amendments of 1978, as amended,
$100,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 1995:
Provided, That assistance to an owner of a multifamily
housing project assisted, but not insured under the National
Housing Act, may be made if the project owner and the
mortgagee have provided or agreed to provide assistance to
the project in a manner as determined by the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development: Provided further, That
assistance is for the repair of damage or the recovery of
losses directly attributable to the Southern California
earthquake of 1994: Provided further, That in administering
these funds, the Secretary may waive, or specify alternative
requirements for, any provision of any statute or regulation
that the Secretary administers in connection with the
obligation by the Secretary or any use by the recipient of
these funds, except for statutory requirements relating to
fair housing and nondiscrimination, the environment, and
labor standards, upon finding that such waiver is required to
facilitate the obligation and use of such funds, and would
not be inconsistent with the overall purpose of the statute
or regulation: Provided further, That after assisting
economically viable FHA insured projects, to the extent funds
remain available the Secretary may provide assistance to
economically viable projects assisted with a loan made under
section 312 of the National Housing Act of 1964 and projects
assisted under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of
1937 but not insured under the National Housing Act: Provided
further, That the entire amount is designated by Congress as
an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, as amended.
Federal Housing Administration
FHA--General and Special Risk Program Account
For higher mortgage limits and improved access to mortgage
insurance for victims of the January 1994 earthquake in
Southern California and other disasters, title II of the
National Housing Act, as amended, is further amended, as
follows:
(1) In section 203(h), by--
(A) striking out ``section 102(2) and 401 of the Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act'' and inserting ``Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act'';
and
(B) adding the following new sentence at the end thereof:
``In any case in which the single family residence to be
insured under this subsection is within a jurisdiction in
which the President has declared a major disaster to have
occurred, the Secretary is authorized, for a temporary period
not to exceed 18 months from the date of such Presidential
declaration, to enter into agreements to insure a mortgage
which involves a principal obligation of up to 100 percent of
the dollar limitation determined under section 305(a)(2) of
the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act for single
family residence, and not in excess of 100 percent of the
appraised value.''.
(2) In section 203(k), by adding at the end thereof the
following new paragraph:
``(6) The Secretary is authorized, for a temporary period
not to exceed 18 months from the date on which the President
has declared a major disaster to have occurred, to enter into
agreements to insure a rehabilitation loan under this
subsection which involves a principal obligation of up to 100
percent of the dollar limitation determined under section
305(a)(2) of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act
for a residence of the applicable size, if such loan is
secured by a structure and property that are within a
jurisdiction in which the President has declared such
disaster, pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act, and if such loan otherwise
conforms to the loan-to-value ratio and other requirements of
this subsection.''.
(3) In section 234(c), by inserting after ``203(b)(2)'' in
the third sentence the phrase: ``or pursuant to section
203(h) under the conditions described in section 203(h)''.
Eligibility for loans made under the authority granted by
the preceding paragraph shall be limited to persons whose
principal residence was damaged or destroyed as a result of a
Presidentially declared major disaster event: Provided, That
the provisions under this heading shall be effective only for
the 18 month period following the date of enactment of this
Act.
Community Planning and Development
community development grants
For an additional amount for ``Community development
grants'', as authorized under title I of the Housing and
Community Development Act of 1974, for emergency expenses
resulting from the January 1994 earthquake in Southern
California or the Midwest Floods of 1993, $500,000,000, to
remain available until September 30, 1996 for all activities
eligible under such title I except those activities
reimbursable by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) or available through the Small Business Administration
(SBA): Provided, That from this amount, the Secretary may
transfer up to $75,000,000 to the ``HOME investment
partnerships program'', as authorized under title II of the
Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, as amended
(Public Law 101-625), to remain available until expended, as
an additional amount for such emergency expenses for all
activities eligible under such title II except activities
reimbursable by FEMA or available through SBA: Provided
further, That the recipients of amounts under this
appropriation, including the foregoing transfer (if any),
shall use such amounts first to replenish amounts previously
obligated under their Community Development Block Grant or
HOME programs, respectively, in connection with the Southern
California earthquake of January 1994: Provided further, That
in administering these funds, the Secretary may waive, or
specify alternative requirements for, any provision of any
statute or regulation that the Secretary administers in
connection with the obligation by the Secretary or any use by
the recipient of these funds, except for statutory
requirements relating to fair housing and nondiscrimination,
the environment, and labor standards, upon finding that such
waiver is required to facilitate the obligation and use of
such funds, and would not be inconsistent with the overall
purpose of the statute or regulation: Provided further, That
the entire amount is designated by Congress as an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as
amended.
INDEPENDENT AGENCY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
disaster relief
For an additional amount for ``Disaster Relief'' for the
January 1994 earthquake in Southern California and other
disasters, $4,709,000,000 to remain available until expended:
Provided, That the entire amount is designated by Congress as
an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, as amended.
emergency management planning and assistance
For an additional amount for ``Emergency Management
Planning and Assistance'', to carry out activities under the
Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended (42
U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) $15,000,000, to remain available until
expended, to study the January 1994 earthquake in Southern
California in order to enhance seismic safety throughout the
United States: Provided, That the entire amount is designated
by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, as amended.
CHAPTER 8
FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT
Unanticipated Needs
For an additional amount for emergency expenses resulting
from the January 1994 earthquake in Southern California, the
Midwest Floods and other disasters, $550,000,000, to remain
available until expended: Provided, That these funds may be
transferred to any authorized Federal governmental activity
to meet the requirements of such disasters: Provided further,
That the entire amount shall be available only to the extent
that an official budget request for a specific dollar amount,
that includes designation of the entire amount of the request
as an emergency requirement as defined in the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, is
transmitted by the President to Congress: Provided further,
That the entire amount is designated by Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, as amended.
This title may be cited as the ``Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations Act of 1994''.
TITLE II--SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING
SEPTEMBER 30, 1994
CHAPTER 1
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Extension Service
For an additional amount for ``Extension Service,''
$1,400,000, to remain available until September 30, 1995, of
which up to $750,000 may be transferred to the Cooperative
State Research Service.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
salaries and expenses
For an additional amount for ``Salaries and expenses'' from
fees collected pursuant to section 736 of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act, not to exceed $2,284,000, to remain
available until expended: Provided, That fees derived from
applications received during fiscal year 1994 shall be
credited to the appropriation current in the year in which
fees are collected and subject to the fiscal year 1994
limitation.
CHAPTER 2
DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED
AGENCIES
RELATED AGENCY
Office of the United States Trade Representative
salaries and expenses
For an additional amount for salaries and expenses,
$75,000, to remain available until expended, for electronic
records management activities to comply with Armstrong
against Executive Office of the President.
CHAPTER 3
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
resource management
(including transfer of funds)
For an additional amount to carry out the Forest Plan in
the Pacific Northwest, $2,100,000, of which $400,000 shall be
derived by transfer from the ``Oil spill emergency fund'' and
$1,700,000 shall be derived by transfer from the ``Compact of
Free Association''.
land acquisition
(including transfer of funds)
For an additional amount for ``Land acquisition'' for the
acquisition of land or interests in land, from willing
sellers, in the Midwest area flooded in 1993, $4,000,000, to
remain available until expended, to be derived by transfer
from amounts appropriated to the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service under the heading ``Construction'' in Public
Law 103-75, to be used for nonstructural measures to meet
flood damage control and fish and wildlife habitat
restoration objectives.
National Park Service
construction
For an additional amount for ``Construction,'' to replenish
funds used for emergency actions related to storm damaged
facilities within National Park System areas, $13,102,000, to
remain available until expended.
land acquisition and state assistance
For an additional amount for ``Land acquisition and state
assistance,'' $1,274,000, to be derived from the Land and
Water Conservation Fund, to remain available until expended,
to replenish funds used for emergency actions related to
storm damaged facilities within National Park System areas;
and in addition, an additional amount to be determined by the
Secretary, to remain available until expended, to be derived
by transfer from balances under the head ``Construction,''
for project modifications authorized by section 104 of the
Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of
1989, to be available for Federal assistance to the State of
Florida for acquisition of lands or interests therein
adjacent to, or affecting the restoration of natural water
flows, to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
operation of Indian programs
The paragraph under this heading in Public Law 103-138 is
amended by inserting the words ``not to exceed'' before the
amount ``$316,111,000''.
construction
For an additional amount for ``Construction,'' $12,363,000,
to remain available until expended.
indian land and water claim settlements and miscellaneous payments to
Indians
The paragraph under this heading in Public Law 103-138 is
amended by adding the following before the last period: ``,
and (3) to reimburse Indian trust fund account holders for
loss(es) to their respective accounts where the claim for
said loss(es) has been reduced to a judgment or settlement
agreement approved by the Department of Justice''.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
administrative provisions, department of energy
Section 303 of Public Law 97-257, as amended, is repealed.
The seventh proviso under the head ``Clean Coal
Technology'' in Public Law 101-512, and the seventh proviso
under the head ``Clean Coal Technology'' in Public Law 102-
154, both concerning Federal employment, are repealed.
CHAPTER 4
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AND RELATED
AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Advances to the unemployment trust fund and other funds
For an additional amount for ``Advances to the unemployment
trust fund and other funds,'' $61,400,000, to remain
available until September 30, 1995.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Salaries and expenses
For an additional amount for ``Salaries and expenses'' for
the current population parallel survey, $10,100,000:
Provided, That an amount equal to the amount obligated in the
``Training and employment services'' account for this purpose
upon the date of enactment of this Act shall be transferred
from this account and merged into the ``Training and
employment services'' account.
CHAPTER 5
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
CONGRESSIONAL OPERATIONS
SENATE
Salaries, Officers and Employees
For an additional amount for ``Office of the Secretary'',
$450,000.
Contingent Expenses of the Senate
secretary of the senate
For an additional amount for expenses of the ``Office of
the Secretary of the Senate'', $600,000.
CHAPTER 6
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Coast Guard
operating expenses
Of funds provided under this heading under Public Law 103-
75, $4,000,000 shall, in combination with funds made
available under this heading under Public Law 102-368, be
made available for operating, acquisition, construction, and
improvement costs associated with the Midwest floods, and
shall remain available until expended.
acquisition, construction, and improvements
Of the funds made available under this heading under Public
Law 102-368, $2,000,000 shall be made available for costs
associated with the Midwest floods, and shall remain
available until expended.
Federal Railroad Administration
pennsylvania station redevelopment project
For grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation,
$10,000,000, to remain available until expended, for
engineering and design activities to enable the James A.
Farley Post Office in New York City to be used as a train
station and commercial center: Provided, That the Secretary
may retain from these funds such amounts as the Secretary
shall deem appropriate to undertake the environmental and
historic preservation analyses associated with this project:
Provided further, That no funds provided under this head
shall be available for construction until the Secretary
submits a report to the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations regarding the financing of necessary
improvements to the existing Pennsylvania Station and the
financing of the operating and capital costs accruing to the
commuter rail authorities operating in said station as a
result of this redevelopment project.
trust fund share of next generation rail technology development
(highway trust fund)
The obligation limitation for the ``High-Speed Ground
Transportation'' program in Public Law 103-122 is amended by
deleting ``$3,500,000'' and inserting ``$7,952,000''.
General Provision
Section 310(c)(3) of the Department of Transportation and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994, is amended by--
(a) inserting ``6005,'' after ``6001,''; and
(b) inserting ``: Provided, That notwithstanding any other
provision of law, amounts made available under section 6005
of Public Law 102-240 shall be subject to the obligation
limitation for Federal-aid highways and highway-safety
construction programs under the head `Federal-Aid Highways'
in this Act'' after ``section 104(a) of title 23, United
States Code''.
CHAPTER 7
TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Office of Administration
salaries and expenses
(including transfer of funds)
For necessary expenses for salaries and expenses for the
costs of electronic communications records management
activities for compliance with and resolution of Armstrong v.
Executive Office of the President, $7,030,000, to remain
available until expended, of which $6,000,000 shall be
derived by transfer from Department of Defense, ``Research,
Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force.''
National Security Council
salaries and expenses
For necessary expenses for salaries and expenses for the
costs of electronic communications records management
activities for compliance with and resolution of Armstrong v.
Executive Office of the President, $5,320,000, to remain
available until expended.
CHAPTER 8
DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Veterans Benefits Administration
Compensation and pensions
For an additional amount for ``Compensation and pensions,''
$698,000,000, to remain available until expended.
Readjustment benefits
For an additional amount for ``Readjustment benefits,''
$103,200,000, to remain available until expended.
Veterans Health Administration
Medical Administration and Miscellaneous Operating Expenses
(By transfer)
For an additional amount for ``Medical administration and
miscellaneous operating expenses'', $3,500,000, to be derived
by transfer from amounts appropriated under the head
``Medical care'' in Public Law 103-124.
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Housing Programs
Federal Housing Administration
FHA--Mutual mortgage insurance program account
During fiscal year 1994, the limitation on commitments to
guarantee loans to carry out the purposes of section 203(b)
of the National Housing Act, as amended, is increased by an
additional loan principal of not to exceed $20,000,000,000.
FHA--General and special risk program account
The limitation on commitments during fiscal year 1994 to
guarantee loans authorized by sections 238 and 519 of the
National Housing Act, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1715z-3(b) and
1735c(f), is increased by an additional loan principal, any
part of which is to be guaranteed, of not to exceed
$2,000,000,000.
Administrative Provisions
Of the $260,000,000 earmarked in Public Law 102-389, in the
14th proviso under the head Annual Contributions for Assisted
Housing, for special purpose grants (106 Stat. 1571, 1584),
$1,300,000 made available for continued assistance to two
sugarcane mills on the Hilo-Hamakua Coast of Hawaii shall
also be available to community-based and employee-support
organizations along the Hamakua Coast, to address social and
economic needs in such area.
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
Environmental Protection Agency
Water infrastructure state revolving funds
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-124, the $500,000,000 earmarked to not become
available until May 31, 1994, shall instead not become
available until September 30, 1994.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Research and development
The second proviso under this heading in Public Law 103-124
is amended to read as follows: ``Provided further, That of
the funds provided under this heading, for the redesigned
Space Station, (1) not to exceed $160,000,000 shall be for
termination costs connected only with Space Station Freedom
contracts, (2) not to exceed $172,000,000 shall be for space
station operations and utilization capability development,
and (3) not to exceed $99,000,000 shall be for supporting
development:''.
The fifth and sixth provisos under this heading in Public
Law 103-124 are deleted and the fourth proviso thereunder is
amended to read: ``Provided further, That of the funds made
available under this heading, not to exceed $117,200,000
shall be available for activities to support cooperative
space ventures between the United States and the Republic of
Russia outlined in the joint agreement of September 2,
1993:''.
Research and program management
For an additional amount for ``Research and program
management,'' $60,000,000.
National Service Initiative
Corporation for National and Community Service
From the amounts appropriated to the Corporation for
National and Community Service in Public Law 103-124, up to
$3,000,000 may be made available for a demonstration program
for Stafford Loan Forgiveness authorized under section 428 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078).
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 2001. (a) Section 1205(a)(1) of the Supplemental
Appropriations Act of 1993 is amended by inserting before the
semicolon the following: ``and amounts transferred by the
Architect of the Capitol from funds appropriated to the
Architect''.
(b) Section 1205(b) of such Act is amended--
(1) by striking ``and payments'' and inserting ``,
payments''; and
(2) by inserting before the period at the end the
following: ``, and payments pursuant to Senate Resolution
139, 103d Congress, agreed to August 4, 1993''.
(c) Section 1205 of such Act is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(d) In case of an award under section 307 of Public Law
102-166, a payment pursuant to an agreement under section 310
of such Public Law, or a payment pursuant to Senate
Resolution 139, 103d Congress, agreed to August 4, 1993, to
an employee described in section 301(c)(1)(B) of such Public
Law, to an applicant for a position described in section
301(c)(1)(C) of such Public Law that is to be occupied by
such an employee, or to an individual described in section
301(c)(1)(D) of such Public Law who was formerly such an
employee, the Architect of the Capitol, at the direction of
the Secretary of the Senate, shall transfer to the account
established by subsection (a), from funds that are
appropriated to the Architect of the Capitol under the
heading `Capitol Buildings and Grounds' under the subheading
`senate office buildings' and that are otherwise available
for obligation at the time the award is ordered or the
agreement is entered into, an amount sufficient to pay such
award or make such payment.''.
(d) The amendments made by this section shall be effective
on and after October 1, 1992.
Sec. 2002. (a) The Senate finds that--
(1) historically it is the policy of the Federal Government
to provide financial and other assistance to the victims of
natural disasters;
(2) since fiscal year 1988, the Congress has enacted 6
major disaster relief supplemental appropriations Acts
providing a total of $17,012,000,000 in budget authority for
Federal disaster assistance for domestic disasters;
(3) the provision of Federal disaster assistance reflects
the traditions and values of the American people who have
always been willing to provide help to those who have been
victimized by catastrophic events and forces beyond their
control;
(4) the unprecedented growth in the cost of disaster
assistance needs to be reconciled with the restraints imposed
on discretionary spending and with the deficit reduction
goals of the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 and the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, under which significant
progress is being made in reducing the Federal deficit; and
(5) a prospective policy should be developed for
anticipating and funding disaster needs and other emergencies
in keeping with continuing fiscal constraints on the Federal
Government.
(b) It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) there should be established in the Senate a Bipartisan
Task Force on Funding Disaster Relief; and
(2) the Task Force should--
(A) consult with the Senate committees with jurisdiction
over disaster relief programs;
(B) compile information on the history of Federal disaster
relief and recovery funding;
(C) evaluate the types and amounts of Federal financial
assistance provided to individuals, State and local
governments, and nonprofit organizations after disasters
strike, as well as relevant insurance coverage and loss
experience;
(D) consider the relationship between funding disaster
relief and complying with the deficit control requirements of
the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1993, and other deficit control
provisions enacted prior to 1990; and
(E) report its findings, options, and recommendations to
the Senate with regard to the consideration of future
disaster assistance funding requests prior to the convening
of the 104th Congress.
Sec. 2003. (a) Amendment to Title 31.--Section 301(d) of
title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``an
Under Secretary for Enforcement,'' after ``2 Under
Secretaries,''.
(b) Amendment to Title 5.--Section 5314 of title 5, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``Under Secretary of the
Treasury (or Counselor).'' and striking ``Under Secretary of
the Treasury for Monetary Affairs.'' and inserting in lieu
thereof, ``Under Secretaries of the Treasury (3).''.
TITLE III--RESCINDING CERTAIN BUDGET AUTHORITY
CHAPTER 1
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Economic Research Service
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $4,000,000 are rescinded.
Cooperative State Research Service
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $12,463,000 are rescinded, including $4,375,000
of contracts and grants for agricultural research under the
Act of August 4, 1965, as amended; $6,729,000 for competitive
research grants under section 2(b) of the Act of August 4,
1965; and $1,359,000 for necessary expenses of Cooperative
State Research Service activities.
buildings and facilities
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $2,897,000 are rescinded.
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
Salaries and Expenses
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $12,167,000 are rescinded.
Soil Conservation Service
conservation operations
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $12,167,000 are rescinded.
watershed and flood prevention operations
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $21,158,000 are rescinded.
Farmers Home Administration
Agricultural credit insurance fund program account
Of the amounts provided under this heading for the cost of
credit sales of acquired property direct loans in Public Law
103-111, $5,094,000 are rescinded.
Rural housing insurance fund program account
Of the amounts provided under this heading in Public Law
103-111, the following amounts are rescinded: for the cost of
low-income housing section 502 direct loans, $1,515,000; for
the cost of section 515 rental housing loans, $12,443,000;
for the cost of section 504 housing repair loans, $1,204,000;
for the cost of section 514 farm labor housing loans,
$483,000.
rural housing voucher program
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $25,000,000 are rescinded.
Salaries and Expenses
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $12,167,000 are rescinded.
Rural Electrification Administration
Rural Electrification and Telephone Loans Program Account
(rescission)
Of the amounts provided under this heading in Public Law
103-111, the following amounts are rescinded: for the cost of
5 percent rural electrification direct loans, $3,388,000; for
the cost of 5 percent rural telephone direct loans,
$3,222,000.
Food and Nutrition Service
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 102-341, $6,100,000 are rescinded.
Food Donations Program for Selected Groups
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $5,200,000 are rescinded.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111, $30,000,000 are rescinded.
Public Law 480 Program Account
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111 for title III, $45,000,000 are rescinded, and of
the amounts made available for ocean freight differential
costs, $4,600,000 are rescinded.
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-111 for the cost of direct credit agreements,
including the cost of modifying credit agreements,
$35,400,000 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 2
DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED
AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Operations and Administration
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading, $2,000,000
are rescinded.
Export Administration
Operations and Administration
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading, $3,000,000
are rescinded.
Minority Business Development Agency
Minority Business Development
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available for the Catawba Indian Tribe in
Public Law 103-121, $500,000 are rescinded.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Information Infrastructure Grants
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-121, $4,254,000 are rescinded.
Economic Development Administration
Economic Development Revolving Fund
(Rescission)
From unobligated balances available under this heading,
$20,000,000 are rescinded.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Administration of Foreign Affairs
Diplomatic and Consular Programs
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-121, $600,000 are rescinded.
Buying power maintenance
(rescission)
Of the balances in the Buying power maintenance account,
$8,800,000 are rescinded.
THE JUDICIARY
Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services
defender services
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-121, $3,000,000 are rescinded.
RELATED AGENCIES
Board for International Broadcasting
israel radio relay station
(rescission)
Of the balances available under this heading, $1,700,000
are rescinded.
Small Business Administration
Salaries and Expenses
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-121, $4,100,000 are rescinded.
State Justice Institute
Salaries and Expenses
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading, $3,000,000
are rescinded.
United States Information Agency
Salaries and Expenses
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading, $3,000,000
are rescinded.
north/south center
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading, $8,700,000
are rescinded.
CHAPTER 3
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
PROCUREMENT
Aircraft Procurement, Air Force
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 102-396, $12,800,000 are rescinded.
Other Procurement, Air Force
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-139, $27,500,000 are rescinded.
Procurement, Defense-Wide
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-139, $104,500,000 are rescinded.
RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST AND EVALUATION
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 102-396, $50,000,000 are rescinded.
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-139, $110,500,000 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 4
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE--CIVIL
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Corps of Engineers--Civil
General Investigations
(Rescission)
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Law 102-377 and prior years Energy and Water Development
Acts, $24,970,000 are rescinded.
Construction, General
(Rescission)
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Law 102-377 and prior years Energy and Water Development
Acts, $97,319,000 are rescinded.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Construction Program
(Rescission)
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Laws 102-27, 102-368, 102-377 and prior years Energy and
Water Development Acts, $40,000,000 are rescinded.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Supply Research and Development Activities
(rescissions)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-126, $107,300,000 are rescinded: Provided, That the
reduction shall be taken as a general reduction, applied to
each program equally, so as not to eliminate or
disproportionately reduce any program, project or activity in
the Energy Supply, Research and Development Activities
account as included in the reports accompanying Public Law
103-126.
Of the funds made available under this heading for
superconducting magnetic energy storage in Public Law 103-
126, $10,000,000 are rescinded.
Uranium Supply and Enrichment Activities
(RESCISSION)
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Law 102-377 and prior years' Energy and Water Development
Appropriations Acts, $42,000,000 are rescinded.
RELATED AGENCY
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
salaries and expenses
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-126, $12,700,000 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 5
FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS
MULTILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT
International Financial Institutions
CONTRIBUTION TO THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FUND
(RESCISSION)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-87, for the United States contribution to the sixth
replenishment of the African Development Fund, $2,700,000 are
rescinded.
BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT
Agency for International Development
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND
(RESCISSION)
Of the unexpended or unobligated balances of funds
(including earmarked funds) made available for fiscal year
1994 and prior fiscal years to carry out the provisions of
sections 103 through 106 of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961, $40,879,000 are rescinded.
OPERATING EXPENSES OF THE AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
(RESCISSION)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-87, for expenses related to the implementation of the
recommendations of the Report of the National Performance
Review, $3,000,000 are rescinded.
ASSISTANCE FOR THE NEW INDEPENDENT STATES OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
(RESCISSION)
Of the unexpended or unobligated balances of funds made
available under this heading and title VI of Public Law 103-
87, and prior Acts making appropriations for foreign
operations, export financing, and related programs, for
assistance for the new independent states of the former
Soviet Union, $145,000,000 are rescinded.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE
Economic Support Fund
(RESCISSION)
Of the unexpended or unobligated balances of funds
(including earmarked funds) made available for fiscal years
1987 through 1994 to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of
part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $32,700,000
are rescinded.
MILITARY ASSISTANCE
Funds Appropriated to the President
FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING PROGRAM
(RESCISSIONS)
Of the funds made available under this heading (including
earmarked funds) in Public Law 102-391 and prior
appropriations acts, for grants to carry out the provisions
of section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act, $65,562,000 are
rescinded.
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-87, for grants to carry out the provisions of section
23 of the Arms Export Control Act, $25,721,000 are rescinded:
Provided, That such rescission shall be derived only from
nonearmarked amounts.
Military assistance
(rescission)
Of the funds made available (including earmarked funds)
under this heading in Public Law 102-391 and prior
appropriations acts, $438,000 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 6
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
CONSTRUCTION and anadromous fish
(Rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 100-446 and Public Law 102-154, $3,874,000 are rescinded.
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Biomass Energy Development
(rescission)
Of the funds available under this heading, $16,275,000 are
rescinded.
CHAPTER 7
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND
RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
(Rescission)
Of the amounts appropriated in Public Law 103-112 for
salaries and expenses and administrative costs of the
Department of Labor, $4,000,000 are rescinded.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
(rescission)
Of the amounts appropriated in Public Law 103-112 for
salaries and expenses and administrative costs of the
Department of Health and Human Services (except the Social
Security Administration), $37,500,000 are rescinded.
Social Security Administration
Supplemental Security Income Program
(rescission)
Of the amounts appropriated in the first paragraph under
this heading in Public Law 103-112, $10,909,000 are
rescinded.
Limitation on Administrative Expenses
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-112 to invest in a state-of-the-art computing
network, $80,000,000 are rescinded.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Departmental Management
program administration
(rescission)
Of the amounts appropriated in Public Law 103-112 for
salaries and expenses and administrative costs of the
Department of Education, $8,500,000 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 8
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
CONGRESSIONAL OPERATIONS
SENATE
Contingent Expenses of the Senate
(rescission)
Of the funds made available for the Senate under the
heading ``Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate'' in
Public Law 102-90, $1,500,000 are rescinded.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Salaries and Expenses
(rescission)
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Law 101-520, $633,000 are rescinded in the amounts specified
for the following headings and accounts:
``allowances and expenses'', $633,000, as follows:
``Official Expenses of Members'', $128,000; ``supplies,
materials, administrative costs and Federal tort claims'',
$125,000; ``net expenses of purchase, lease and maintenance
of office equipment'', $364,000; and ``Government
contributions to employees' life insurance fund, retirement
funds, Social Security fund, Medicare fund, health benefits
fund, and worker's and unemployment compensation'', $16,000.
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Law 102-90, $2,352,000 are rescinded in the amounts specified
for the following headings and accounts:
``house leadership offices'', $253,000;
``committee on the budget (studies)'', $4,000;
``standing committees, special and select'', $378,000;
``allowances and expenses'', $943,000, as follows:
``Official Expenses of Members'', $876,000; and
``stenographic reporting of committee hearings'', $67,000;
``committee on appropriations (studies and investigations)'', $595,000;
``salaries, officers and employees'', $179,000, as follows:
``Office of the Postmaster'', $19,000; ``for salaries and
expenses of the Office of the Historian'', $26,000; ``the
House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and the
Democratic Caucus'', $73,000; and ``the House Republican
Conference'', $61,000.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
(rescission)
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-69, $1,000,000 are rescinded.
GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
(rescission)
Of the amounts made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-69, $650,000 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 9
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
Base Realignment and Closure Account, Part III
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-110, $601,224,000 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 10
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
payments to air carriers
(airport and airway trust fund)
(rescission)
Of the funds available for programs authorized under
section 419 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, as amended
(49 U.S.C. 1389), $10,067,000 are rescinded.
rental payments
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-122, $1,781,000 are rescinded.
Federal Aviation Administration
operations
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-122, $2,750,000 are rescinded.
facilities and equipment
(airport and airways trust fund)
(rescission)
Of the available balances under this heading, $65,205,300
are rescinded.
grants-in-aid for airports
(airport and airway trust fund)
(rescission)
Of the unobligated balances authorized under section 14 of
Public Law 91-258 as amended, $488,200,000 are rescinded.
Federal Highway Administration
(highway trust fund)
(rescission)
Of the funds made available for specific highway projects,
$23,701,035 are rescinded: Provided, That of the amounts made
available for Federal-aid highways pursuant to provisions of
the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance
Act of 1987, $2,517,473 are rescinded: Provided further, That
of the authority made available for bridges on Federal dams
pursuant to section 320 of title 23, United States Code,
$9,478,139 are rescinded: Provided further, That this
rescission shall not apply to any emergency relief project
under section 125 of title 23, United States Code.
right-of-way revolving fund
(highway trust fund)
(rescission)
Of the unobligated balances authorized under section 108 of
title 23, United States Code, and section 7 of Public Law 90-
495, $20,000,000 are rescinded.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
highway traffic safety grants
(highway trust fund)
(rescission)
Of the funds available for programs authorized under 153,
402, and 408 of title 23, United States Code, and section 209
of Public Law 95-599, as amended, $219,750,000 are rescinded.
Federal Railroad Administration
railroad research and development
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-122, $17,000,000 are rescinded.
Federal Transit Administration
discretionary grants
(rescission)
(highway trust fund)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 99-190, $808,935 are rescinded.
CHAPTER 11
TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
information systems
(rescission)
Of the amount made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-123, $6,400,000 are rescinded.
RELATED AGENCY
General Services Administration
federal buildings fund
(limitations on availability of revenue)
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-123, the Independent Agencies Appropriations Act,
1994, and from available unobligated balances from previous
appropriations acts, $127,691,000 are rescinded for the
following projects in the following amounts:
Alabama:
Montgomery, U.S. Courthouse, $5,000,000.
Arizona:
Naco, U.S. Border Station, $74,000.
Sierra Vista, U.S. Magistrates Office, $1,000,000:
Provided, That up to $1,000,000 shall be made available for
such project from funds made available in Public Law 103-123
for non-prospectus construction projects.
California:
Calexico, U.S. Border Station, $900,000.
Menlo Park, U.S. Geological Survey Office and Laboratory
Buildings, $783,000.
Sacramento, U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building,
$3,391,000.
Tecate, U.S. Border Station, $165,000.
District of Columbia:
Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters Building,
$11,309,000.
Federal Office Building No. 6, $11,100,000.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Field Office, $5,679,000.
White House remote delivery and vehicle maintenance
facility, $5,382,000.
U.S. Secret Service, Headquarters, $23,274,000.
Florida:
Lakeland, Federal Building, $4,400,000.
Tampa, U.S. Courthouse, $7,472,000.
Iowa:
Burlington, Parking Facility, $2,400,000.
Massachusetts:
Boston, U.S. Courthouse, $4,076,000.
Maryland:
Bowie, Bureau of Census, Computer Center, $660,000.
New Carrollton, Internal Revenue Service, $30,100,000.
Minnesota:
Minneapolis, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse,
$4,197,000.
New Hampshire:
Concord, U.S. Courthouse, $867,000.
Nevada:
Reno, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, $875,000.
New Jersey:
Newark, Federal Building, 20 Washington Plaza, $327,000.
Pennsylvania:
Philadelphia, Veterans Affairs Federal Building,
$1,276,000.
Tennessee:
Knoxville, U.S. Courthouse, $800,000.
United States Virgin Islands:
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Courthouse and Annex,
$2,184,000.
CHAPTER 12
DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Housing Programs
Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere Grants (HOPE
Grants)
(Rescission)
Of the amounts provided under this heading in Public Law
103-124, an additional $50,000,000 are rescinded.
Annual Contributions for Assisted Housing
(Rescission)
Of the amounts earmarked under this heading in Public Law
103-124, $325,000,000 are rescinded: Provided, That the
$541,000,000 earmarked in the sixth proviso under this
heading shall be reduced accordingly.
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Research and development
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-124, $63,000,000 are rescinded.
Space flight, control, and data communications
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-124, $32,000,000 are rescinded.
Construction of facilities
(rescission)
Of the funds made available under this heading in Public
Law 103-124, $25,000,000 are rescinded.
TITLE IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 401. No part of any appropriation contained in this
Act shall remain available for obligation beyond the current
fiscal year unless expressly so provided herein.
Sec. 402. The Architect of the Capitol shall be considered
the agency for the purposes of the election in section
801(b)(2)(B) of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act
and the head of the agency for purposes of subsection
(b)(2)(C) of such section.
prohibition of benefits for individuals not lawfully within the united
states
Sec. 403. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used to provide any benefit or assistance to any
individual in the United States when it is known to a Federal
entity or official to which the funds are made available
that--
(1) the individual is not lawfully within the United
States; and
(2) the direct Federal assistance or benefit to be provided
is other than search and rescue; emergency medical care;
emergency mass care; emergency shelter; clearance of roads
and construction of temporary bridges necessary to the
performance of emergency tasks and essential community
services; warning of further risks or hazards; dissemination
of public information and assistance regarding health and
safety measures; the provision of food, water, medicine, and
other essential needs, including movement of supplies or
persons; and reduction of immediate threats to life, property
and public health and safety.
Sec. 404. (a) Study by Comptroller General.--The
Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a
study regarding Federal laws, unfunded Federal mandates, and
other Federal regulatory requirements, that may prevent or
impair the ability of State and local authorities to rebuild
expeditiously the areas devastated by the January 1994
earthquake in Southern California. In conducting the study,
the Comptroller General shall consult with State and local
officials of California.
(b) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit
to the Congress a report setting forth findings and
recommendations as a result of the study conducted under
subsection (a). The report shall include--
(1) an identification of the specific Federal laws,
unfunded Federal mandates, and other Federal regulatory
requirements, referred to in subsection (a);
(2) an analysis of the manner in which such laws, mandates,
and other requirements may prevent or impair the ability of
State and local authorities to rebuild expeditiously the
areas devastated by the January 1994 earthquake in Southern
California; and
(3) recommended forms of, and appropriate time periods for,
relief from such laws, mandates, and other requirements.
Sec. 405. In the case of any equipment or product that may
be authorized to be purchased with financial assistance
provided using funds made available in this Act, it is the
sense of the Congress that entities receiving the assistance
should, in expending the assistance, purchase only American-
made equipment and products, and that notice of this
provision be given to each recipient of assistance covered
under this Act.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, my distinguished colleague, the able Senator
from Oregon [Mr. Hatfield], ranking member of the committee, is on his
way and is expected shortly. I therefore will await his presence before
I make my opening statement.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed
to speak out of order for up to 7 minutes.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection? The Chair hears
none. The Senator from Alabama is recognized for 7 minutes.
(The remarks of Mr. Shelby pertaining to the introduction of S. 1838
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills
and Joint Resolutions.'')
Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the Senator
from West Virginia.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, H.R. 3759, the emergency supplemental
appropriation and rescission bill, was reported by the Appropriations
Committee yesterday afternoon in the form of a substitute to the House-
passed measure. In order to expedite Senate consideration of this
critical legislation, the committee did not file a report to accompany
the bill. However, Members have on their desk a detailed explanatory
statements which set forth the committee's recommendations in great
detail, and I urge Members to review that statement along with the bill
as the debate on this measure proceeds.
At this time, I will briefly set forth the key elements of the
pending measure, after which time I will yield to Senator Hatfield--my
distinguished colleague, the manager on his side--for any remarks that
he wishes to make.
As reported, H.R. 3759 contains four titles. For title I, the
committee recommends emergency disaster assistance and other emergency
funding totaling just over $10 billion. The vast majority of these
funds are to provide disaster assistance to the victims of the
California earthquake. Additionally, the President has requested and
the committee has provided funding for the victims of the Midwest
floods. The major items included in title I are:
FEMA disaster relief: $4.7 billion;
SBA disaster loans: $1.1 billion;
Emergency highway funding: $1.3 billion;
Impact aid and student financial assistance: $245 million;
HUD-assisted housing: $325 million;
Unanticipated needs fund: $550 million; and
Midwest flood: $685 million.
Additionally, the President requested and the committee has
recommended $1.2 billion for the Department of Defense peacekeeping
activities as an emergency. I am concerned with this particular
emergency request of the President, the $1.2 billion for DOD for
peacekeeping activities. For this one instance, in order to expedite
consideration of this very important legislation, I am prepared to
recommend that the committee go along with the emergency designation.
But, this should not be looked at as a way to get annual add-ons to the
DOD budget. I repeat, this should not be looked upon as a way to get
annual add-ons for the DOD budget.
Title II of the bill contains regular fiscal year 1994 supplemental
appropriations requested by the President. Of these amounts, three of
the committee's recommendations provide for mandatory funding of very
important programs:
Veterans compensation and pensions: $698 million;
Veterans readjustment benefits: $103 million; and
Advances for unemployment trust fund: $61.4 million.
In addition to these mandatory appropriations, the bill contains
various discretionary fiscal year 1994 supplementals requested by the
President for items such as salaries and expenses for certain agencies,
certain items for the National Park Service and Bureau of Indian
Affairs, et cetera.
These discretionary appropriations total under $150 million and are
all accommodated within each subcommittee's 602(b) allocation.
The President's budget contains one additional supplemental
appropriation that the committee could not accommodate within its
allocation. That request is for an appropriation of $670 million for
contributions for international peacekeeping activities. That program
falls under the jurisdiction of the Commerce, Justice, State
Subcommittee and inasmuch as that subcommittee has insufficient budget
authority and outlays remaining within its 602(b) allocation, the
committee is therefore unable to provide these peacekeeping funds
requested by the President.
Title III contains rescissions totaling $3.44 billion. The committee
recommends rescissions in response to the President's November 1, 1993
message and, in addition, it has recommended rescissions in response to
the President's rescissions message included in Monday's budget
submission.
So what we have is a committee response to two rescission messages
from the President--one of last November and one of this past Monday,
and both are included in this bill.
In total, for both the November 1, 1993, and the February 7, 1994
rescission messages, the President requested rescissions of $3.17
billion. The committee's recommendations for both messages total $3.44
billion, or $272 million in greater cuts than proposed by the
President.
There are a number of general provisions included in title IV of the
bill. The committee adopted an amendment which I offered, and which was
cosponsored by Senators Inouye, Hatfield, and Stevens. That amendment
is a sense-of-the-Senate provision calling for the establishment of a
bipartisan task force on funding disaster relief.
There is a growing tension between the funding for disaster
assistance and other emergencies, on the one hand, and, on the other
hand, the demands for fiscal discipline. The constraints on
discretionary spending established in the Budget Enforcement Act of
1990 and the President's deficit reduction program, as incorporated in
the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, are helping to put the
country on the right fiscal track. At the same time, however, the
unavoidable demands of disaster relief and other emergencies continue
to expand.
We have no control over these natural disasters--none. We cannot
foresee them, and we have to deal with them when they occur. I hope
Senators will keep in mind the impact of such disasters when we get
around to voting on a constitutional amendment on the balanced budget.
They might want to think about that pretty seriously, because we are
going to continue to have natural disasters. We always have had them,
since man was created in the image of God and placed in the Garden of
Eden. And they will continue.
Fortunately, today we do not have that constitutional amendment on a
balanced budget welded into the Constitution. We would have big
trouble, big problems in financing these disasters, without cutting
into other high- priority programs. So I will not hesitate to remind
Senators of that fact when we get around to debating the constitutional
amendment on a balanced budget. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot
vote for billions of dollars to deal with natural disasters and turn
around and then weld into the Constitution an amendment on a balanced
budget which says that outlays shall not exceed receipts in any fiscal
year, unless three-fifths of the total membership of both houses votes
by rollcall to waive that provision. Therefore, Senators can bet that
that language will be welded into the minds of Senators before they
vote on a constitutional amendment on a balanced budget. It is a good
time right now to remind Senators of it.
Since fiscal year 1988, the Congress has enacted six major disaster
relief supplemental appropriation bills that have provided over $17
billion in assistance for a variety of domestic catastrophes, and this
is exclusive of the $10 billion in emergency supplementals included in
the pending measure.
I think there is a growing agreement that a better way of funding
this assistance is needed. Whether we find that better way remains to
be seen. I am hopeful that the task force envisioned in this measure
can develop a proposal or proposals for incorporating more realistic
estimates of the prospective costs of this assistance in the Federal
budget. Unless we can devise a responsible solution to this problem, we
will continue to run the risk of either disrupting progress toward our
fiscal goals or decimating other important and valuable programs funded
by discretionary appropriations.
I wish to thank all members of the committee for their cooperation in
handling this critical legislation on an expedited basis. I wish to
extend my heartfelt felicitations to Senator Hatfield, the former
chairman of the Appropriations Committee, upon whose able advice and
cooperation I have long ago come to depend. He has never hesitated to
offer his wisdom and advice and kind cooperation and his help in many
ways. He is always cooperative and has been helpful in this instance
during the committee's markup of the bill.
Also, I wish to thank the staff on both sides. We have an excellent
staff. They are professionals, and they take their responsibilities
seriously as professionals. I specifically mention Jim English, the
director of the Senate Appropriations Committee staff, and Keith
Kennedy, his counterpart on the minority side.
In addition, I would like to thank all members of the full committee
staff for their diligent work on this very important measure: Jack
Conway, Bob Putnam, Tim Leeth, Mary Dewald, Anita Pandolfe, Marsha
Berry, and Juanita Rilling. I also commend the staff of our
subcommittees, whose work is invaluable. I will not take this
opportunity to enumerate them, as they will be recognized during the
course of the year for their work on their individual appropriation
bills.
I commend the two Senators from California, Mrs. Feinstein and Mrs.
Boxer, for the great concern and effort they have demonstrated in
response to the devastation that has occurred there, and for fully
addressing the needs of their constituents. They have worked doggedly,
day and night, with the administration and with me, including phone
calls to me over the weekend at my home, in order to expedite
consideration of the pending measure. I believe we have done the best
that we can to respond to the President's requests and to the requests
of the two California Senators, and that we have fully met the needs of
the citizens of California and the additional needs of those affected
by the Midwest floods, as well as rescinding an excess of $3 billion
and providing appropriations for such important items as the veterans
compensation pension funding and veterans readjustment benefits
provided in the bill.
I urge Senators to refrain from offering amendments to this bill.
In that regard, I must say that Senator Reid and Senator Kerrey on
yesterday indicated that they would have amendments to offer on the
floor, and both Senators are here.
I urge Senators, however, to refrain from offering amendments to the
bill, as much as they can so refrain. I recognize the rights of all
Senators and certainly support their rights to offer amendments.
It is important that we complete action today on this measure in
order to go to conference with the House tomorrow. This would make it
possible for the conference report to be filed tomorrow night and
action on that conference agreement could be taken by both the House
and Senate on Friday.
It is important to complete Congressional action this week. It is my
understanding that the grants process for reconstruction and repair of
the highways affected by the earthquake will cease if this bill is not
enacted into law by the end of the week. Furthermore, it is my
understanding that, without additional funds, FEMA will be forced to
suspend work on all nonpeople related projects throughout the Nation in
order to concentrate their remaining funds on the people-related needs
of those affected by the earthquake.
Mr. President, I am going to yield now, and I hope that my colleague,
Senator Hatfield, will seek recognition. I wonder if it would be
agreeable to him, before I take my seat, that I ask unanimous consent
that the committee substitute be agreed to for purposes of further
amendment, providing that all points of order will not have been
waived.
Let me put it in less passive sense--that no points of order will
have been waived.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is the Senator making that
unanimous-consent request?
Mr. BYRD. I do.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection? The Chair hears
none. It is so ordered.
Mr. BYRD. I thank my colleague, Mr. Hatfield, and I thank the Chair.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the Senator
from Oregon, Mr. Hatfield.
Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, once again, the chairman of the
Committee on Appropriations, Senator Byrd, and I find ourselves in
agreement.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator will suspend for just a
moment.
It is the understanding of the Chair that the bill will be considered
as original text for purpose of amendment.
Mr. BYRD. That is correct; that the committee substitute be
considered approved so that the bill, as amended, be considered as
original text, with no points of order waived.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair thanks the Senator.
The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, the chairman of the committee has
outlined the contents of this bill in a very able fashion, as always. I
am very honored again to be a partner in the managing of this
appropriations measure.
Mr. President, as far as the chairman and I are concerned, we work as
a team, as a partnership. To me, there is no distance that separates
this body from one side to the other on a partisan level. That is not
the way in which we function on our committee.
The reality of that aisle may be here to be seen, but I visualize a
well-worn pathway that we have between ourselves crossing this aisle as
we collaborate and cooperate together in serving this body and the
people of this country, bringing to this floor from time to time these
bills that represent life and hope and programs that are reaching out
to people and to parts of this country.
I am always privileged to be a student of the chairman as far as
parliamentary procedure and senatorial history. I consider him a great
mentor as well as a great friend. I also am conscious that our ability
to come here and present these bills year after year, multiple bills--I
need not remind the body that we have to produce 13 bills year after
year. No committee is under such obligation to produce any bills.
I also say that as often as perhaps the Appropriations Committee is
targeted for criticism of reaching out beyond purely an appropriation
action, that as we proceed to the 13 bills for 1995, as we did this
last year, we will be appropriating funds to keep alive those agencies
and those programs that have not been reauthorized.
I want to raise one that I am most especially interested in, having
authored the first one, and that is the Endangered Species Act. It has
expired. And yet the appropriators have had to fill the gap to sustain
the life of this very important program in this country.
So we do have multiple functions and duties in the Appropriations
Committee. We do not back down or shrink from those duties, even though
those duties go beyond purely an appropriation action.
I can remember when the crime bill was attached to an appropriations
bill in order to get passed. I can remember when a foreign aid
authorization was attached to an appropriations bill to get passed.
So as much as the Appropriations Committee is targeted for this and
that and the other thing, let us bear in mind that we are performing
the one obligation that keeps this Government alive and functioning;
much of that is providing it with the resources. That is a general
comment.
But I would like now to go back to the purpose of this bill, which
is, of course, to continue to meet the needs unexpected, unplanned, and
unscheduled. That is what an emergency appropriations bill is all
about.
We have three titles to this bill, as has been indicated. One title,
title I, is to wrap a number of actions into one bill. Title I is the
emergency appropriation primarily for the relief of the Los Angeles
victims following the earthquake. In fact, of the $10 billion
represented in title I, almost $8 billion, $7.7 billion, is for that
action in the earthquake.
We have a continuing obligation to fill in this title I, with the San
Francisco earthquake. And, as well, we have the duties performed for
the Midwest States flood. And on it goes, for these emergencies.
We have, as well, to replenish the Department of Defense for the
operations of Somalia and Bosnia and Iraq--those obligations.
Title II is a title relating to what we might in shorthand call,
``the President's regular supplemental appropriations bill'' that he
has submitted as of yesterday. In this we are talking about $978
million. These are nonemergency supplemental appropriations requests,
and the single largest component of this is $801 million for veterans
benefits. This, of course, is a mandated expenditure and does not
require an offset. We also have over $60 million for advances for the
unemployment trust fund. This is another mandatory activity that does
not require an offset. The balance of $115 million is for various
supplementals requested by the President for sundry activities of the
Government. These are now in a different category. These are
discretionary funding programs and they require an offset, and they
have been offset by the action of the committee.
I should note the committee was not able to provide one other request
in the regular title II, regular supplemental, offered by the President
of $670 million. That would be for the contribution to the U.N.
peacekeeping forces. We could not find an offset, which we are required
to do. We could not find an offset for that $670 million. So that
matter will have to then carry over into the regular bills we will be
undertaking very shortly for 1995.
Title III of this bill, as the chairman indicated, addresses the
issues of rescissions, rescissions in which, after a part of the fiscal
year has elapsed, the President reviews programs and issues, those
matters which relate to findings, and because of the changes that have
occurred he submits to the Congress a proposal to rescind those
expenditures that had been provided in the regular appropriations bill.
The President submitted two such rescissions--one in November,
approximately $1.9 billion, and another just yesterday, Tuesday, of
$1.6 billion.
The chairman has already indicated that we have increased those
figures from the President. In other words, we are proposing here today
we rescind more money than the President has suggested because the
Congress as well contributes to a review of those programs in the face
of changes. I might say we have recommended rescinding $3.4 billion in
budget authority. This exceeds the amount of the House action by $881
million and exceeds the President's request by $270 million.
As the chairman has editorialized, so to speak, on the impact the
balanced budget amendment would have on this kind of action, let me
just, for a second or two, comment or editorialize on what the line-
item veto's impact would have on this particular type of procedure.
I was asked by the media yesterday as to my reaction to a proposal
that somehow has found its way in the ``reform activities of the House
of Representatives,'' and probably will appear here in the Senate as
well, as it has in the past. Somehow the impression has been
communicated to the public and media that the President's budget is
sacrosanct and, therefore, any change in the President's budget becomes
an add-on by the Congress as a line item and should, therefore, be
subject to veto because the impression is that any change that Congress
makes is pork.
Let me remind ourselves today that the Constitution bestows upon the
legislative branch of Government the control of the purse strings,
based upon our European background and our European political
experience of the sovereign or the monarch or the dictator or the czar
or whatever the title might be, of having such autocracy based upon the
control of the resources.
So, therefore, it is the Congress that has that fundamental
constitutional responsibility. The President is but proposing to the
Congress in his priorities, and in his view, what are the required
resources to be acted upon by the Congress. The Congress in modifying
or changing the President's budget is really functioning more under a
constitutional requirement than an administrative requirement.
I think we should never lose sight of the fact that that is our
constitutional duty. Therefore, we must understand the President's
budget as submitted is a compilation of line items. It is made up of
many programs, many suggestions, many recommendations. Those are line
items. Therefore, when we are modifying or changing, it is a matter of
addressing a line-item procedure that the President is already engaged
in, and our constitutional duty to so do. In addition to that, the
impression is that every request the President makes is substantive, it
is vital, it is imperative, it is important. Anything that Congress
offers, again, is classified as pork.
It is also assumed the President has asked for lesser money than the
Congress has been wanting to appropriate, over the years. The chairman
and other members of the Appropriations Committee have cited a survey
and it has shown that in the major number of years--at one point it was
38 out of 40--the Congress underappropriated the requests of the
President. So the changes made by the Congress--add-ons, line items,
pork, all of those things that have been so superficially identified--
have really been of a lesser gross amount, a lesser number, than the
President's.
Let me say to the body again, I take pride that in 6 years that I
served as chairman of this committee under a Republican Senate and a
Republican White House, we underappropriated President Reagan's request
for military spending by approximately $100 billion; we transferred
funds, in our priorities, to housing, to education, to welfare, to
health, to all of the people needs, and we still underappropriated the
total requests by President Reagan in practically all of those 8 years
of the Reagan administration.
Mr. BYRD. Not practically all, but in all.
Mr. HATFIELD. Pardon?
Mr. BYRD. Not practically all, but in all.
Mr. HATFIELD. It has been suggested by the chairman, again, it was
not ``practically all.'' I should take that modifier out. In all the
years of the Reagan administration.
So having now gotten that off my chest, let me go back, now, to the
final comments that I want to make on this bill.
We, again, have exceeded the President's rescission number. We have,
again, indicated what we feel to be our imprint on this bill.
Now we have to go to the House. We have to have conference with the
House. And what the final bill will be it remains to be seen. But at
this point the Senate Appropriations Committee has made this its
recommendation, a lower figure than the President's rescission package.
I want to join the chairman in urging a restraint on the matter of
offering amendments. Let me just summarize this point.
Any amendments to title II of the bill, which is the regular
supplemental appropriation, will have to be offset. Any amendment that
adds to title II will have to be offset. Let us also bear in mind that
title I of the bill, which is the emergency supplemental, that has to
qualify as an emergency.
The chairman has already indicated that in yesterday's action, when
we suggested that in a bipartisan way. I was happy to join the chairman
and our colleagues, Senators Inouye and Stevens, in urging a sense-of-
the-Senate resolution to address this matter that we call ``emergencies
because of natural disasters.''
Mr. President, since 1988, the Congress has enacted six major
disaster relief supplementals providing for 17 plus billion dollars for
Federal disaster assistance. Today we are recommending $10 billion to
be added to the deficit.
I can remember when we appropriated almost $1 billion in 1980 for the
Mount St. Helen's disaster. So here we are in this kind of a
circumstance not able to predict natural disasters and yet under
obligation to respond to natural disasters. But we have to find a
better funding mechanism and policy to carry out that responsibility. I
am very hopeful that there will be immediate action taken on this
bipartisan task force to review our procedures for disaster relief
supplemental appropriations and to recommend improvements. But we have
no other alternative but to face up to that need at this time.
Therefore, this is the purpose of title I of this bill.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. REID addressed the Chair.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the Senator
from Nevada [Mr. Reid].
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, the President requested emergency fiscal
year 1994 supplemental appropriations in the amount of $1,198,300,000
for the Department of Defense. These funds are requested to cover
urgent, unbudgeted, and unanticipated expenses of the Department's
humanitarian relief and peacekeeping operations in and around Somalia,
Bosnia, Southwest Asia, and Haiti.
The bill before the Senate recommends an appropriation in the same
amount as requested by the President and provided by the House.
These funds will cover only incremental costs associated with ongoing
humanitarian, peacekeeping, and peace enforcing operations of the
Department. That is, these funds will be used principally to: First,
buy food, shelter, medical supplies, transportation, and other
logistics support for our troops participating in these operations;
second, purchase fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain weapons
systems and support equipment; third, provide combat pay and family
separation allowances to the men and women deployed to the areas of
responsibility; and fourth, replace equipment destroyed or expended in
conflict. Let me briefly summarize the committee's recommendations:
For Somalia, $424,100,000 is recommended to sustain U.S. military and
humanitarian assistance operations up to the planned departure date of
March 31, 1994;
For Bosnia, $276,700,000 is recommended to cover the full fiscal year
costs of supply airdrops, hospital operations, and other support
activities associated with U.S. humanitarian efforts there. These funds
also will be used to support U.S. actions to enforce the no-fly zone in
this area;
For Southwest Asia, $449,700,000 is recommended to cover the full
year combat pay, operations, and support costs of operation provide
comfort--our relief activities for the Kurdish population living in
Northern Iraq--and operation southern watch--our operations to enforce
the no-fly zone in southern Iraq; and
For Haiti, the committee recommends $47,800,000 to pay for the
incremental expenses incurred by the Navy due to increased ship
operations and flying hours of units assigned to maritime interception
operations around Haiti.
Appropriating funds in the amount requested is necessary to maintain
the well being of our military forces. The expenses I have just
described were neither anticipated nor provided for in the fiscal year
1994 Defense Appropriations Act (Public Law 103-139). Thus, the
Department has been forced to redirect funds designated for training
activities, equipment maintenance, and other operations planned for
later in the fiscal year in order to support these peacekeeping
operations. Without these funds, the ability of our forces to maintain
readiness certainly will be degraded.
Last year, the committee labored hard to provide adequate funding for
the Department's readiness programs. By accepting these recommendations
we will continue to assure adequate funding for these critical
programs. I urge the committee to accept the recommendations as
proposed.
Mr. REID addressed the Chair.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the Senator
from Nevada, [Mr. Reid].
Amendment No. 1436
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have an amendment in relation to the
provision in the bill regarding the prohibition of funds to illegal
residents. I brought this matter up yesterday in the Appropriations
Committee and indicated at that time that I would bring it up again on
the floor today.
The relief bill we are going to pass today is a tribute to this
country's enormous generosity in times of crisis and catastrophe.
We not only reach out to our own people, but we reach out to the
peoples in other parts of the world, whether there is an earthquake in
California, fires in California, floods in the Midwest, hurricanes in
Florida and North and South Carolina. We also take pride in our
worldwide generosity, such as helping impoverished and starving people
around the globe. We have, in effect, been the breadbasket of the
world, giving free food all over the world in cases of disaster.
We are always the first. Other countries help, but we are always the
first to render aid in times of disaster. Humanitarian assistance is
truly a part of the heritage of this country, and rightfully so.
This tremendous humanitarianism is evidenced throughout the bill that
is now before this body. Indeed, Mr. President, even those who are not
legal residents will be eligible to receive significant amounts of aid
such as, search and rescue assistance, emergency medical care,
emergency mass care, emergency shelter, provisions for food, water,
medicine and other essential needs, reduction of immediate threats to
life, property, public health and safety. Again, even those who are not
legal residents will receive that aid.
But also part of our heritage is the notion that we should all play
by a set of rules. The purpose of the amendment that I offer is to make
sure that we allow the emergency assistance to everyone.
I do not intend to stand in the way of the State of California and
the Federal officials in California doing whatever is necessary to take
care of the emergency needs of the men, women, and children who have
been so hurt by this natural catastrophe.
But what my amendment does is stop the Federal Government from
providing long-term aid to individuals who are not legal residents of
the United States. That is the simple import of this amendment. You
see, Mr. President, this relief bill provides billions of dollars for
temporary humanitarian relief. As I have indicated, that is the way it
should be.
This legislation also compensates victims for personal losses and
allows them to receive thousands and thousands of dollars in long-term,
nonhumanitarian Federal grants. The long-term nonhumanitarian relief
goes well beyond the emergency essentials necessary for people to
survive.
Included in the long-term benefits are a number of things. For
example, there are rent vouchers available for an 18-month period and
grants of up to $20,000. These include grants from the Small Business
Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. To
the extent there is any scarcity of these funds, we must make sure that
only those who are lawfully within this country are entitled to receive
these long-term benefits.
I have spoken at great length with my two colleagues and friends from
the State of California who so well represent that State in the U.S.
Senate. They also understand that long-term benefits under this bill
should only go to those who are legal residents of the State of
California and this country. They would have to state that in the
Record themselves, but I am confident that is what they would say.
I do not think there is anyone in this Chamber who believes illegal
residents ought to be entitled to long-term Federal grants, low-
interest SBA loans, rental subsidies and outright grants of over
$12,000. The bill needs, I believe, clarity so that those who play by
the rules and are the intended beneficiaries of long-term relief do not
lose out to illegal residents taking advantage of this country's
generosity.
My amendment brings clarity by strengthening the requirements that
relief workers take reasonable steps to verify that all applicants are
legal residents.
I voted against employer sanctions when I was in the House of
Representatives when the immigration bill came up. I voted against
employer sanctions because I thought we put a burden on the private
sector that the Government should bear. I was on the losing side of
that vote and employer sanctions came to be.
I served at the request of the majority leader as chairman of the
joint task force on Senate coverage last year. We rendered a report to
the majority leader and the minority leader indicating that we felt
that this body should have laws that we pass for the private sector
apply to us.
We have asked the private sector to do certain things regarding
employer sanctions. I am asking so much less in the amendment that I am
offering that is not even calculable. There are no severe fines here or
other criminal penalties in my amendment. We are simply saying there
should be reasonable steps taken by those who administer this aid to
not give long-term aid to people who are illegal residents of this
country.
So my bill recognizes the employer sanctions that we now have
regarding those who employ individuals who are not legal residents of
this country. I think the Federal Government should be held to some
kind of standard, certainly not the same standard that we currently
impose on the private sector but some kind of standard. It is not
unreasonable to require us, the Federal Government, to follow the same
laws we impose on others. I am not even asking for the same burden. I
am asking for a lesser burden because, unlike the laws we impose on the
private sector, my bill will not impose criminal fines on those who
violate the law or any type of criminal penalty. It simply puts in
place language that will preserve the integrity of this generous bill
by ensuring that illegal residents will not receive long-term Federal
assistance they would not otherwise receive just because there was an
earthquake.
Again, Mr. President, I want to make it clear that my bill will in no
way deprive anyone, whether legal or illegal, from receiving Federal
assistance for emergency humanitarian relief.
As elected officials, I believe, however, that we, Members of the
Senate, owe a fiduciary duty to the people of this country--I owe it
more specifically to the people of the State of Nevada--which obligates
us to ensure that the long-term Federal benefits are properly
allocated. This amendment that I will soon send to the desk is
necessary to ensure that we do not fail in this regard. Without this
amendment, there is absolutely no protection against illegal residents
fraudulently abusing the law to secure thousands of taxpayers' dollars
otherwise intended for long-term nonhumanitarian purposes.
Moreover, by publicly debating this one weakness of the bill, we are
sending out a clear message to those who are not in this country
legally that there is money to be had. No questions asked, no strings
attached.
This bill prevents this from happening. That is, it prevents people
from obtaining this money who are not legal residents of this country
by requiring that the Federal relief agencies take reasonable steps to
verify the legal residency of all applicants.
Others have argued that it is unrealistic to expect that people
typically carry identification proving they are lawfully within the
United States. This argument, of course, is without a lot of
foundation. It overlooks the fact that if you are asking to receive
Federal funds, all taxpayers have a vested interest in assuring that
you are a taxpayer. We are only asking reasonable steps to be taken. We
are not asking the case be submitted to a jury and a lot of time be
taken. We are asking that these bureaucrats take reasonable steps to
show this.
There are suggestions that requiring proof of legal residency may
result in discrimination against certain minorities. I hope that is not
the case, but, in fact, if there is any discrimination in this or any
other area of the law, there are protections in place that already
exist which forbid this kind of discrimination, and in fact it is a
crime to do so.
Federal relief workers who reject applicants based on discriminatory
purposes know they are subject to not only termination but perhaps
criminal and other civil penalties. Our first priority is to take care
of the taxpayers in California and the rest of this country and to make
sure for all Americans their tax dollars are not spent improperly. This
amendment will provide a means of assuring this happens.
Mr. President, let us not be misled by some who may try to frame this
debate in terms of humanitarianism. This is a red herring. I think with
just a minor bit of logic, that is understandable. This amendment will
not stop any short-term emergency aid to anyone, including people who
are not legally within this country. This bill does not affect
emergency humanitarian relief granted to everyone. Because, however,
this relief bill also provides for long-term remedial and compensatory
benefits, we need to ensure that the scarce dollars allocated end up
being appropriated to those who truly deserve them.
Now, for my friend from California who is in the Chamber, and the
other Senator from California, who I do not see in the Chamber at this
time, but I have spoken to her and I know she is around, let them be
assured I would like to work this out. I hope that we do not have to
have a vote on this.
I have a meeting with Senator Feinstein; Senator Boxer; Erskine
Bowles, head of the SBA; and Secretary Henry Cisneros, of Housing and
Urban Development at 1 o'clock today. I hope that I can have something
in writing which will indicate to me and the rest of the Senate that
any fears I have regarding long-term aid going to people who are not
legal residents of this country will be satisfied; that in fact they
can show me and will put in writing they have mechanisms established
which are already in place in California so that these long-term
benefits will only go to legal residents of this country.
With this in mind, and with the assurance I gave my chairman and the
ranking member yesterday in the full committee that I would do
everything I could to work this out, I hope we can work this out, and I
send this amendment to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Graham). The clerk will report.
The bill clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid] proposes an amendment
numbered 1436:
In title IV, section 403; insert at the end the following
paragraph:
``Any Federal entity or official who makes available funds
under this Act shall take reasonable steps to determine
whether any individual seeking to obtain such funds is
lawfully within the United States.''
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise both to comment on the
supplemental and also to comment on the amendment which is before the
Senate.
Mr. President, in the beginning, I would like particularly to thank
Chairman Byrd and the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee,
as well as the entire committee, for the speed with which this
supplemental has been moved. The speed is justly deserved, as I hope to
point out. But more importantly, Mr. President, I should like to also
thank the chairman of the committee for being available both to Senator
Boxer and myself, when we called from California, to indicate his
strong support to move very rapidly; also to commend my subcommittee
chair, Senator Mikulski, who has held a hearing in the HUD/VA
Subcommittee so that FEMA Director James Lee Witt and Secretary
Cisneros could make a presentation to the committee on exactly what was
happening with respect to this earthquake.
Mr. President, this supplemental is entirely justified. Its urgency
is justified as well. Along the lines of urgency, I would like to
submit, if I may, for the Record, a document entitled ``The Urgency of
Supplemental Appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management
Agency,'' which was compiled on February 3, and at that point indicated
that FEMA would run out of funds, without the supplemental, in 13 days.
At this point, those days are less than 10.
I should like to ask unanimous consent to submit this for the Record,
if I may.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
The Urgency of Supplemental Appropriations for the Federal Emergency
Management Agency
(Supporting Materials: The Northridge Earthquake)
When will the Disaster Relief Fund run out of money?
Average rate of spending since Northridge
(Dollars as of February 3, 1993)
Status of Disaster Relief Fund Allocations:
Unallocated balance of the Disaster Relief Fund on Jan.
17--$1,118,807,924.
Total allocated Jan. 17 through morning Feb. 3--
$851,677,729.
For Northridge--$818,474,717.
For previous disasters--$33,203,012.
Original funds remaining--$267,130,195.
Contingency funds released since Jan. 17--$408,000,000.
Disaster Relief Fund Balance as of morning Feb. 3, 1993--
$675,130,195.
Allocation rate: Days since Northridge earthquake--16.
Rate of allocation per day (all days, not just weekdays)--
$53,229,858.
For Northridge--$51,154,670.
For previous disasters--$2,075,188.
Days remaining:
Days remaining at present rate (all days, not just
weekdays)--13.
impact of not expeditiously approving fema supplemental appropriations
The Northridge earthquake has presented FEMA with possibly
the largest challenge we have ever faced. Preliminary
estimates of over $4 billion for FEMA's costs alone outstrip
the current unallocated balance in the President's Disaster
Relief Fund.
Until FEMA's request for supplemental appropriations can be
passed by the Congress, FEMA still needs to continue our
relief efforts for the Northridge earthquake and work on
other disasters for which we are responsible. In order to
minimize the disruption that would happen if we run short of
funds (as FEMA did after Hurricane Andrew), FEMA has already
determined that it will only be allocating funds when needed
immediately for obligation or to support critical assistance
to individuals and protect the health and safety of the
general public. This is already beginning to impact ongoing
recovery projects.
If, in spite of these measures, the Fund still becomes
critically short of funds, we will undertake more drastic
measures. Any delay in providing supplemental appropriations
to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will result
in significant reductions of what can be funded as part of
the Agency's response and recovery efforts across the
country.
Public assistance
In order to ensure that the Disaster Relief Fund contains
enough funds to (1) meet individual disaster victim needs,
and (2) support initial response operations in case
additional major disasters are declared, FEMA has been forced
to slow or stop the allocation of additional disaster
assistance payments for Public Assistance (payments to
States, local governments, and eligible non-profits for
infrastructure and public facility repairs). The withholding
of Public Assistance funds would negatively impact ongoing
recovery activities. For example:
To date, FEMA has obligated around $200 million to
reimburse local communities and States for expenses incurred
in providing a variety of emergency protective measures
immediately following the Northridge earthquake and to
initiate repairs to damaged infrastructure. The current
estimate to repair the infrastructure is $2.5 billion.
Without supplemental funding, restoring public facilities to
their pre-disaster condition will be impossible.
Eligible Public Assistance projects in Iowa, Illinois,
Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and
Wisconsin (due to this past summer's Midwest floods) are
being slowed or delayed until additional funding is obtained.
At this time, the President is considering a request for a
major disaster declaration for the State of Pennsylvania. In
addition, emergency declarations have been sought by the
States of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, and damage assessments
in the wake of recent incidents have recently been completed
in Ohio and Mississippi. Due to the funding implications of
declaring these potential disasters and emergencies, FEMA
will be able to provide nothing other than emergency
measures and assistance to individuals and families should
declarations be granted.
If necessary, within one week FEMA will de-allocate Public
Assistance funds that have already been directed to FEMA
Regional Offices for outstanding disasters to ensure that the
immediate needs of disaster victims can be addressed.
Should the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations not be
approved in the next two weeks, the impact of withholding
Public Assistance funds will be substantial. States and
communities eligible for additional Public Assistance funds
include but are not limited to:
California (Los Angeles County and incorporated areas,
Orange County and incorporated areas; Ventura County and
incorporated areas; City of San Francisco (City Hall);
Stanford University; Watsonville Community Hospital)
Illinois (East St. Louis; Eldred Drainage District;
Hillview Drainage District; Hunt Drainage District; Lima Lake
Drainage District)
Iowa** (Davenport; Des Moines; Keokuck; Otumwa; Sabula;
Story; Iowa State University) (**The entire State is eligible
for Public Assistance funds)
Kansas (Kansas City; St. Charles County; St. Louis; St.
Joseph)
North Dakota (Steele County)
South Dakota (Dakota Dunes)
Wisconsin (Black River Falls)
Florida (Dade County)
Others: Arizona; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida;
Georgia; Guam; Hawaii; Indiana; Louisiana; Maine; Minnesota;
Mississippi; New Mexico; Nebraska; New York; New Jersey;
Oklahoma; Oregon; Ohio; Texas; and Vermont.
Mitigation
A delay of the approval for the supplemental request will
also seriously hamper mitigation activities and funding to
States and local communities across the United States. In
many cases, this can leave communities open to further
disaster.
For example, there are communities in the Midwest who are
awaiting assistance to implement preventative measures before
the expected Spring floods. Relocation of whole communities
(such as Valmeyer and Grafton, Illinois; English, Indiana;
and Darlington, Wisconsin) are already in process and will be
seriously impacted without the anticipated funding from the
Hazard Mitigation Grant (Section 404) Program.
Other communities are also planning acquisition projects or
projects to elevate homes and other buildings above the base
flood elevation. This is a top priority for the Clinton
Administration, and will result in the reduction of human
suffering and costs related to flood disasters in the future.
Without funding, these homes will remain vulnerable to the
flood hazard.
Presently, we anticipate requests for relocation funds from
about 200 communities affected by the Midwest floods of 1993.
Should the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations not be
approved in the next two weeks, the impact of withholding
Mitigation funds will be substantial. States and communities
awaiting Mitigation funds include but are not limited to:
Maine (Greenville; Kittery; Skowhegan; Wilton; Yarmouth)
Massachusetts (Orleans)
Alabama (Livingston; Oneonta)
North Carolina (Sunset Beach)
Illinois (Grafton; Valmeyer)
Indiana (English)
Wisconsin (Darlington; Eau Claire)
Louisiana (LaFourche Parish)
Texas (Simonton)
Iowa (Independence; Des Moines)
Kansas (Riley County)
Missouri (Arnold; Jefferson City; Springfield; Ste.
Genevieve; St. Charles County)
Nebraska (Crowell; Hollubs Place; Iskee Park; Sarpy County)
Arizona (Winkelman)
California (Humboldt County)
fema verification of disaster assistance applications
FEMA's inspection process
After FEMA has taken an application for assistance from a
disaster victim for Disaster Housing or for the Individual
and Family Grant (IFG) program, a home inspection will be
completed to determine eligibility and the amount of
assistance each program should provide. All requests for
assistance will be verified through use of this inspection
process.
FEMA issues the applications electronically to one of the
firms with contracts from the Agency to provide these
inspection services. The contractors have provided 800
inspectors to accomplish these inspections to date. This
number of inspectors will grow to 1,500 by next week with
increases beyond that number made if necessary. Each contract
inspector receives applications for inspection electronically
from the contractor. The inspector records damage to real and
personal property, along with other relevant information, on
a hand-held computer. When the inspection is complete, the
collected information is electronically returned from the
contract firm to FEMA.
This system, known as the Automated Construction Estimates
(ACE) system was first used in the California wildfires. Its
use will reduce the time necessary to assist applicants,
improve the accuracy of the grant awards provided, and reduce
administrative expenses. All applications for disaster
housing assistance and individual and family grant assistance
will be verified using the ACE system.
____
City Hall,
Los Angeles, CA, February 4, 1994.
Hon. Robert C. Byrd,
Chairman, Committee on Appropriations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Byrd: The Los Angeles earthquake has had a
devastating effect on the residents and economy of our city.
The initial episode, centered in the Northridge area of Los
Angeles, and the many aftershocks have resulted in fifty-
seven deaths, scores of injuries, and a staggering amount of
property damage.
Particularly in light of the intensity and breadth of the
devastation, we are extremely proud of the excellent
performance of the City of Los Angeles' emergency response
and damage recovery personnel. Moreover, we greatly
appreciate the similarly rapid and effective response of the
many other government and private individuals and
organizations involved. Nonetheless, the earthquake has
placed a tremendous strain on already stretched City
financial resources, facilities, and services, including
significant damage to the City's utility infrastructure.
Therefore, we fully support HR 3759, the emergency
supplemental appropriations bill for disaster assistance
related to the Los Angeles earthquake, which was passed by
the House on February 3. HR 3759 will provide much needed
additional aid to victims of the disaster and allow the
regional economy to accelerate its recovery. It will also
provide increased funds for federal cost sharing in repairs
to damaged City facilities and in emergency response
activities. As the damage levels and their cost estimates
continue to grow over the next several months, our needs may
well exceed the significant level of assistance contained in
HR 3759. In that event, we look forward to working with
Congress and the Administration to meet those needs.
We are grateful to the Administration, Senators Feinstein
and Boxer and our entire Congressional delegation for their
rapid and wholehearted support and we respectfully request
prompt consideration and passage of HR 3759 in the Senate.
Sincerely,
Richard Riordan,
Mayor.
John Ferraro,
President.
Los Angeles City Council.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. I should also like to submit a letter for the Record
dated February 8, from the Governor of the State of California, Pete
Wilson, indicating his strong support for this supplemental, and I ask
unanimous consent it be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
Sacramento, CA,
February 8, 1994.
Hon. Robert C. Byrd,
Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to express my strong
support for the emergency supplemental appropriations bill,
and to urge swift Senate passage to ensure needed federal
funding assistance flows quickly to victims of the Northridge
Earthquake. The additional $2 billion added to the bill late
last week bring the totals more in line with our current
estimates of total federal costs.
On the heels of quick action by the House of
Representatives last week, action by the Senate and passage
by the full Congress are the last steps in this critical
initial recovery phase. Any delay could threaten the flow of
urgently-needed funds.
As we both know from past experience, additional steps may
have to be taken as more precise damage estimates are known.
We do know that this is among the costliest natural disasters
in our nation's history, one that we as a state can ill-
afford, especially in light of the continued recession in
California and the unprecedented number of natural disasters
that have hit the state in recent years.
I appreciate the commitment of the Administration and the
Congress to revisit these issues and increase federal
assistance as needed to ensure an essential federal response
to the needs arising out of the Northridge Earthquake.
California will bear a substantial cost of the disaster
through our share of costs to rebuild our transportation
infrastructure and provide grants to individuals and
families, loss in property tax, casualty losses to be
deducted from Personal Income and Bank and Corporation taxes,
housing assistance in excess of federal support, and though
loss of economic activity and jobs.
The difficult process of rebuilding these communities and
restoring the basic needs of so many Angelenos is now
underway. Passage of this appropriations bill marks an
important and much appreciated first step in the federal
government's commitment to the people of Los Angeles.
I look forward to working with you to ensure full and
timely assistance for the communities and victims of the
Northridge Earthquake.
Sincerely,
Pete Wilson.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I should like to submit a letter for
the Record dated February 8, 1994, from the director of the department
of finance of the State of California, Mr. Russell Gould. This letter
indicates that the total cost of the disaster to government agencies is
estimated at $11.6 billion; the Federal Government's share of these
costs is $9.5 billion; the State's share is $1.9 billion; and the local
agency's share, $135 million.
The letter then goes on to state that these shares are based on the
provisions of H.R. 3759, the House bill that was passed, and it goes on
to say that the supplemental is adequate to meet the needs of the
State. I think this is an important letter and should be part of the
official Record.
I ask unanimous consent it be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
State of California,
Department of Finance,
Sacramento, CA, February 8, 1994.
Hon. Pete Wilson,
Governor, State of California,
Sacramento, CA.
Dear Governor Wilson: I am hereby transmitting the
Department of Finance's estimate of the fiscal impact of the
January 17, 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The analysis is based
on the best damage assessments currently available to local,
state, and federal officials. These estimates will change
over time as new information becomes available.
These shares of cost are based on the provisions of H.R.
3759, as it was passed by the House of Representatives. That
legislation contains supplemental appropriations totalling
$9.5 billion. Based on current estimates, I believe that H.R.
3759 contains sufficient funds to meet commitments that have
been made by the federal government to date.
These federal funds, however, are not sufficient to cover
all of the costs borne by the state and by local agencies.
The state and local agencies will be responsible for state
programs that are not eligible for federal funding and for
the non-federal share of cost for federal disaster relief
programs.
federal disaster assistance
Assistance provided through the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) supports public assistance (e.g.,
emergency response, debris removal, repair of damaged public
facilities), and hazard mitigation assistance. The federal
government pays for 90 percent of the cost of public
assistance, and 75 percent of the cost of hazard mitigation.
The Office of Emergency Assistance estimates public
assistance costs will total $3.4 billion, including the base
costs of state and local agencies. The federal government has
indicated that it will pay for 90 percent of public
assistance expenses, excluding base costs. OES estimates that
the non-federal share of public assistance costs will total
$417 million. Of this amount, $58 million will be used to
assume local agencies' ordinary share of cost. OES estimates
that the non-federal share of costs for hazard mitigation
will total $195 million, of which one-third ($65 million)
would be a state cost and two-thirds ($130 million) would be
a local cost.
transportation facilities
The Federal Highway Administration will cover 100 percent
of the cost of repair work which can be completed within 180
days under the Emergency Relief program. Work completed after
180 days is eligible for a federal share of cost which varies
between 88 and 91 percent, depending on the type of
transportation facility involved.
CalTrans estimates that the cost of repair to structures
and roadways, and other costs borne by state and local
transportation agencies which are eligible for federal
funding will total $1.45 billion. CalTrans estimates that the
non-federal portion of these costs will be 10 percent, or
$145 million.
individual family grant program
The Individual and Family Grant Program (IFPG) awards
grants to individuals and families for serious needs or
necessary expenses resulting from a disaster. The program
provides assistance of up to $12,200 per applicant. The
federal governments pays for 75 percent of the cost of these
grants. The state also administers a state-only supplemental
program, providing up to an additional $10,000 for applicants
whose needs are not met by the federal program.
The Department of Social Services estimates that total cost
of IFPG grants will be $717 million, of which the non-federal
share will be $250 million.
tax relief
The state traditionally provides two forms of tax relief
following disasters. First, current law allows taxpayers
affected by disasters to defer payment of their property
taxes. The state provides loans to local agencies to cover
their cash losses during the first year. In recent years, the
state has forgiven these loans as a means of recognizing the
taxpayers may also seek reassessment of damaged properties.
AB 2290 (Katz), which you support, contains provisions
providing this assistance. We estimate the cost of this
assistance will be $10 million.
Current law also provides that casualty losses related to a
federally declared disaster which are not reimbursed by
insurance may be claimed as deductions in the year the loss
occurs or in the year preceding the loss. AB 2290 (Katz) also
contains provisions routinely enacted following recent
disasters which allow taxpayers to carry forward 100 percent
of losses up to 5 years and 50 percent of losses for up to an
additional 10 years. We estimate this tax relief will result
in General fund revenue losses of $425 million.
housing assistance
The California Disaster Assistance Program (CALDAP)
provides assistance to owners of property that has been
damaged or destroyed in a disaster, who do not qualify for
programs administered by the Small Business Administration
(SBA) or the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD). CALDAP assistance will take several different forms,
including loans for both single-family and multi-family
properties, recognizing the need to preserve the supply of
low-income multi-family housing.
The Department of Housing and Community Development
estimates that $575 million will be required over the next
two years to meet the best estimate of need that is currently
available.
education impact aid
H.R. 3759 includes $165 million to assist school districts
meet increased operating costs resulting from the earthquake
and to compensate districts for property tax losses directly
related to the earthquake. Past experience indicates that the
federal government pays for 90 percent of these costs. We
estimate that the state's share of cost would be $14 Million.
A table summarizing these fiscal impacts is attached.
Respectfully submitted.
Russell S. Gould,
Director of Finance.
Enclosure.
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF STATE FISCAL IMPACT STATE PROGRAMS FOR DISASTER
RECOVERY RELATED TO THE NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE
[In millions of dollars]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Approximate State
Program Federalparticipationpercentage cost
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal disaster assistance
(OES/FEMA):
Public assistance: includes
emergency response, debris
removal, repairing damaged
public facilities......... 90 417
Hazard mitigation.......... 75 65
Transportation facilities:
Repairing damaged roadways and
structures, costs of
transportation agencies....... 90 145
Individual Family Grant
Program: Cash payments for
disaster relief (including
100% State supplemental
program)...................... 75 250
Tax relief:
Property tax relief:
Reimburse local agencies
for disaster reassessments 0 10
Casualty losses: Increased
deductions for
unreimbursed losses....... 0 425
California Disaster Assistance
Program:
Low interest loans to
reconstruct single- and
multifamily structures not
eligible for other forms
of assistance, such as SBA
or HUD.................... 0 575
Education impact aid........... 90 14
----------------------------------------
Total.................... .............................. 1,901
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Department of Finance, Feb. 8, 1994.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, without going over all the details of
the earthquake, everybody who read this morning's newspapers knows that
the earthquake has been upgraded in severity--from 6.6 to 6.8 in
magnitude--so that the energy released from the quake is 1\1/2\ times
more than the original estimate. It was a serious quake. It moved
buildings vertically and horizontally at an accelerated rate that
caused very serious damage to freeways, to homes, to businesses, and to
many, many residents in the area.
This supplemental appropriations bill goes a long way to enable
people to recover. The human element of the supplemental is
extraordinarily important: people standing in disaster assistance
lines, people who urgently need housing, people whose businesses have
crumbled and they need the small business loans.
I would just like to quickly update the figures on the disaster, in
addition to what the chairman said, on HUD housing grants, the impact
aid, the transportation system, the small business loans, FEMA
assistance, and the contingency funds.
I want to point out that nearly 300,000 applications for FEMA
assistance have been processed. There have been 21,659 applications for
small business assistance received, and 1,100 applications, totaling
$37.2 million in aid, have been approved. There have been 13,717 HUD
section 8 housing vouchers, providing 18 months of rental assistance,
requested. Of these, 2,807 applications have been approved and 803
families have contracts with landlords. To qualify for the section 8
program, a family of four cannot earn more than $24,150 a year; 100,000
applications for food stamps have been approved to date. Yet 3\1/2\
weeks after the earthquake, 22 shelters remain open and 2,400 people
are still in the shelters.
Mr. President, I would like for a moment to turn to Senator Reid's
amendment and to the language in the House bill. The relevant language
is contained on page 114 of the bill. In essence, what it says is that
none of the funds made available in this act can be used to provide any
benefit or assistance to any individual in the United States when it is
known to a Federal entity or official to which the funds are made
available that the individual is not lawfully within the United States.
I think this is quite possibly Senator Reid's problem. It says,
``when it is known to a Federal entity.''
I am hopeful that in the ensuing hours we can reach a compromise
which takes care of what I understand Senator Reid's problem to be and
yet does not mean that another 30 disaster assistance centers must
open, and that we can make clear the distinction between emergency
aid--food, water, shelter, temporary housing assistance, clothing--and
long-term assistance--the section 8 HUD vouchers, long-term food stamp
grants, and small business loans and grants that may be offered. This
is critical to do.
As I understand it, Senator Reid is asking the agencies that dispense
long-term assistance to take reasonable steps to determine the legal
status of the individual. It may well be that we can work this language
appropriately into the House language so that it does not mean the
agency cannot give initial, emergency assistance to an individual.
I have been told by the agencies that, as drafted, if this language
is included, it would mean--and I will be specific here--FEMA would
have to add 20 to 30 additional disaster assistance centers to handle
the delay that would be caused by requiring proof of citizenship at the
preliminary screening. I say to Senator Reid that this is the main
problem about preliminary screening: providers of emergency aid and
shelter would be required to inquire about immigration status, not just
in cases of long-term aid, but in the very early stages of responding
to a disaster. This inquiry process into immigration status of all
earthquake aid recipients would create a high burden for FEMA and other
agencies who are struggling mightily to provide timely emergency
assistance in the midst of what is great destruction.
If FEMA or any other agency only checks the documentation of foreign-
looking or foreign-sounding applicants, they could be subject to an
equal protection suit. In other words, if they select people because
they appear to be Asian or Hispanic, they could be subject to an equal
protection suit.
This provision could even delay--or deny--benefits to legal citizens
as well. It is a very sensitive, tender issue.
As those who have worked on immigration reform law know, determining
immigration status is not an easy task. Proof of being lawfully within
the United States, which is the language in the Reid amendment, can
involve over a dozen different documents, not just a green card or a
passport.
Training FEMA workers to evaluate all of these kinds of documents
could also be extremely difficult at the initial screening, which is
what we are talking about. Many documents that earthquake victims would
use to document their immigration status may have been destroyed in the
earthquake. What would these people do?
On Friday, the U.S. attorney's office announced the formation of a
Federal task force of eight Federal agencies to investigate earthquake-
related fraud in food stamps and other governmental assistance
programs. I suspect there is going to be far more fraud committed by
people who are legal citizens--who are trying to get additional food
stamps or who exceed the $24,000 income limit to qualify for HUD
section 8 vouchers--than by illegal immigrants trying to get this form
of long-term assistance.
That is why I am hopeful we will be able to clarify this amendment,
because the intent is something that I think both Senator Boxer and I
would like to vote for, to say that long-term aid--SBA loans, HUD
section 8 vouchers, capital grants, long-term food stamps--can only go
to people who are legitimately here in the United States and can so
demonstrate that.
So we need to see--and it is my understanding that Senator Kennedy's
immigration staff is available to help and I am grateful for that--to
see if we cannot satisfy Senator Reid's concern that reasonable steps
will be taken by HUD to see that section 8 vouchers do not go to
illegal immigrants and that reasonable steps will be taken by SBA to
see that SBA loans and grants will not go to illegal residents.
I think that can be handled.
But, most importantly, I think it is very key and critical that this
amendment be processed, this legislation be processed, today and be
approved by this Senate.
Time is running out. In my remarks, I will list other States that
will be affected, other programs that will be affected, if this
supplemental is not processed. I know there is no one in the Senate,
absolutely no one, who wants to deny Federal aid to people who are
truly in need at the time of a federally declared disaster. I must say
that gives me a great deal of comfort.
I also want to thank all of the Members of the Senate who have come
forward one by one and said, ``California is really going through a
rough time. Anything I can do to help, I certainly would be glad to
do.'' I thank them for that statement, and I want to say that their
vote in favor of this legislation will say both to my colleague,
Senator Boxer, and to me, that you are indeed helping.
Let me conclude by making a few additional comments.
FEMA Director James Lee Witt has prepared an analysis of its funding
needs, not only for this disaster, but to cover the outstanding costs
of other disasters around the Nation.
That report shows that at its current rate of funding, FEMA will run
out of money in its disaster relief fund in 10 days.
To continue providing emergency individual assistance FEMA has had to
slow the allocation of public assistance funds in eight States: Iowa,
Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and
Wisconsin.
If funding is not provided in the next week and a half, public
assistance funds would be slowed to 22 additional States: Florida,
Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii,
Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico,
Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Ohio, Texas, and
Vermont.
Responding to the current situation in California is not a local
issue, it is clearly a national issue that impacts a majority of States
in this Nation.
Federal-State-Local Response
I would like to also praise the leadership of all the Federal State,
and local officials who coordinated the response:
FEMA Director Witt, who is still in California, HUD Secretary Henry
Cisneros, Transportation Secretary Federico Pena were on the scene
quickly, and stayed to help get the response apparatus in place.
Dick Andrews, the director of the State's office of emergency
services, coordinated the State's effort and did a great job.
And Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan with Police Chief Willie
Williams must be commended for their outstanding leadership and for
their ongoing efforts which will ultimately, I am confident, put Los
Angeles back on its feet.
True bipartisan cooperation has guided the recovery effort thus far
and it is my hope that bipartisan accord will continue today as this
Senate approves the supplemental.
By way of summary, in the last 23 days following the earthquake and
more than 3,100 aftershocks: 57 people died; 6,540 people were injured;
at least 21,000 homes have been declared uninhabitable; at least 55,000
homes have been damaged; and 945,000 meals have been provided by
voluntary organizations such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
transportation impact
Major transportation arteries have been disrupted: 5.6 million
drivers are on these roads on any given day; on the segment of
Interstate 10--the Santa Monica Freeway, the busiest freeway in the
country--damaged by the earthquake, there are 271,000 daily trips; on
Interstate 5 at Route 14, which is currently closed, more than 216,000
daily trips have been recorded; and Route 118, a vital transportation
link in Ventura County which is now closed, usually carries 187,000
daily trips.
A total of 689,000 daily trips have been disrupted as a result of the
earthquake.
The need to rebuild, and to rebuild fast, is clear.
Metrolink
Let me mention the Department of Transportation's rapid efforts to
expand the service of MetroLink, Los Angeles' commuter rail service.
The new link runs out to Palmdale and Lancaster, which face terrible
traffic problems as a result of closed roads.
Within 2 days of the earthquake, the LA County Department of Streets
and Highways, with the assistance of DOT and Navy Seabee's, constructed
two new stations for this service and will have two more constructed by
the first week in February.
Ridership on this new line has increased dramatically in the days
since the quake. The city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority should be commended for their
efforts to develop alternate transportation routes. The residents of
Los Angeles should also be commended for their resilience and their
efforts to work with the available transportation options in the face
of crisis.
I know the administration recognizes the need to put these freeways
back on line. Some $41 million has already been committed, and the
supplemental requests $950 million more, with an additional request of
$400 million for contingencies.
Supplemental Appropriations
This bill has been put together through the cooperation of the local,
State and Federal agencies.
I appreciate the efforts of the administration to recognize the
tremendous needs of the region as a result of this disaster, and its
ensuring response.
This bill contains $7.7 billion in new budget authority for the
response to the Los Angeles earthquake. Budgetary resources, including
loan authority, exceed $8.6 billion. Including commitments already made
to the southern California region, the Federal response to the Los
Angeles disaster will exceed $9.5 billion, the largest Federal response
to a natural disaster in history.
Included in this bill for response to the Northridge earthquake is
the following:
HUD: $575 million for the Department of Housing and Urban Development
to provide section 8 vouchers, flexible subsidies to repair multifamily
housing damaged by the quake, as well as Community Development Block
Grant funds to be spent for a widerange needs.
Education: $245 million for impact aid to help schools meeting
increased operating expenses as a result of the quake, and Pell grants
to help students and families pay for increased transportation costs,
extended day programs, and additional food service costs.
Transportation: $1.39 billion for the reconstruction of Federal
highways.
SBA: $1.164 billion in funds and loan authority for the Small
Business Administration to help rebuild homes and get businesses back
on their feet.
FEMA: $4.7 billion for a wide range of expenses, including the repair
of public building, the repair of mass transit, road repairs, as well
as individual emergency assistance.
Contingency funds: $500 million for the President to allocate to
various agencies to meet various needs as they arise.
Clearly this is a great deal of money but, as I hope that I have
illustrated, there is an urgent need to provide assistance.
There is no time for delay in approving the supplemental
appropriations bill.
I recognize that some of my colleagues will push to offset the
spending in this bill with cuts in other programs. I urge my colleagues
to reconsider.
This Congress must be concerned about the Nation's mounting debt, but
to place the burden of that debt on the backs of earthquake victims is
simply not fair.
Since 1980, there have been eight emergency supplementals in response
to disasters. None have been offset.
This bill includes nearly $3.44 billion in rescissions. Cuts are
being made, but the victims of this disaster ask for this supplemental
to move forward so the recovery is not delayed.
In the weeks and months ahead, I believe Congress should look at
options such as national disaster insurance, or including the disaster
relief fund within the budget when the President makes his annual
request.
I will be a willing participant in any discussion to develop a new
approach.
But today our responsibility, first and foremost, is to the victims
of this quake. It is time to pass this bill and to pass it quickly. I
urge your support of this package.
I conclude by once again thanking the members of the committee for
their support in the rapid processing of this.
I yield the floor.
____________________