[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 14 (Friday, February 11, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION AND RESCISSION

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, conferees met this morning and completed 
action on H.R. 3759, the emergency supplemental appropriation and 
rescission bill. At this time, I will briefly set forth the key 
elements of the pending measure, after which time I will yield to 
Senator Hatfield for any remarks that he wishes to make.
  As reported, H.R. 3759 contains four titles. For title I, the 
conference agreement recommends emergency disaster assistance and other 
emergency funding totalling just over $10 billion. The vast majority of 
these funds are to provide disaster assistance to the victims of the 
California earthquake. In addition, the President requested and the 
conference agreement provides additional 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--$500 million; and
  Midwest flood--$685 million.
  In addition, the President requested and the conference agreement 
recommends $1.2 billion for the Department of Defense peackeeping 
activities as an emergency.
  Title II of the conference agreement contains regular fiscal year 
1994 supplemental appropriations requested by the President. Of these 
amounts, three of the conference agreement'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 $160 
million and are all accommodated within each subcommittee's 602(b) 
allocation.
  Title III contains rescissions totalling $3.25 billion. The 
conference agreement, like the Senate-passed bill, contains the 
congressional response to the President's rescission messages of 
November 1, 1993, and February 7, 1994. The total of those two 
Presidential rescission requests was $3.17 billion. Therefore, the 
conference agreement includes rescissions totalling $78 million in 
greater cuts than requested by the President.
  In addition, an item of interest to Members would be the fact that 
the House accepted the Senate amendment to ensure that emergency funds 
contained in this measure to prohibit benefits for individuals not 
lawfully in this country with a modification intended to ensure that no 
discrimination occurs in the implementation of this section.
  Another provision of interest to all Senators is the amendment 
extending the statute of limitation of criminal prosecution on the 
Resolution Trust Corporation. The House receded to this amendment, 
which was passed by the Senate by a vote of 95-0.
  Mr. President, I thank all Members of the Senate for their 
cooperation in the expeditious passage of this measure. As always, 
their expertise and hard work were present throughout the entire 
consideration of this measure.

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