[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 27 (Friday, March 11, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: March 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 3345, FEDERAL WORKFORCE RESTRUCTURING
ACT OF 1994
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3345), to provide temporary authority to
Government agencies relating to voluntary separation incentive
payments, and for other purposes, with Senate amendments to the House
amendment to the Senate amendment thereto, to disagree to the Senate
amendments to the House amendment, and to agree to the conference
requested by the Senate thereon.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
motion to instruct offered by mr. castle
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct.
The Clerk to read as follows:
Mr. Castle moves that the Managers on the part of the
House, at the Conference on the disagreeing votes of the two
Houses on the bill (H.R. 3345), be instructed to agree to the
amendment of the Senate numbered one, the Gramm amendment
creating the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund and providing
a conforming reduction in the discretionary spending limits.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Delaware [Mr. Castle]
will be recognized for 30 minutes, and the gentleman from Missouri [Mr.
Clay] will be recognized for 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware [Mr. Castle].
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and I will be very brief.
Mr. Speaker, I believe this is an important message that we need to
understand. I would like to repeat the language of the motion to
instruct conferees where, in part, we say, ``Be instructed to agree to
the amendment of the Senate, numbered 1, the Gramm amendment, creating
the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund and providing a conforming
reduction in the discretionary spending limits.''
This amendment just passed in the other body this morning by a 90-to-
1 margin. If we do not pass this motion to instruct conferees, the
savings generated by the buyout provisions in the buyout program could
be spent virtually on anything.
Since the House has failed to pass the crime bill, this is necessary.
If we are serious about addressing the crime problem and funding the
crime bill, we simply must do this.
Please note, as was stated in the motion itself, that discretionary
spending caps will be reduced by the same amount. It is very simple. It
will take this money and put it into the Violent Crime Reduction Trust
Fund. I think we are all virtually in agreement that that should be
funded and this is the best mechanism by which to do that.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to instruct
conferees. When this body initially passed H.R. 3345, we also adopted
an amendment offered by Mr. Penny, Mr. Burton, and Mr. Solomon that
reduces overall Federal employment by 252,000 positions. This provision
will reduce overall Federal expenditures by at least $22 billion. It is
now being proposed that before we even enact those savings we commit to
spending them. In effect, we are being asked to create a budgetary
straightjacket in order to fund a trust fund to support a legislative
initiative that has never been approved or even considered by this
body. In effect, we are being asked to write a new definition of fiscal
irresponsibility.
As passed by the House, H.R. 3345 does not spend one dime of the
savings created by the reduction of the Federal work force decisions
will be made as to whether those savings should be committed to deficit
reduction, to fighting crime, to improving education, and/or to
protecting the national defense. Those decisions will be made when the
Congress adopts this year's budget resolution and will be refined later
in the appropriations bills and future budget resolutions.
Mr. Speaker, this dispute over the allocation of the savings is
jeopardizing our ability to ensure that the Government work force is
reduced in the most humane and cost-effective manner possible, without
unnecessarily firing Federal employees. Failure to enact this
legislation will force involuntary separations at a greater cost to the
taxpayers. The dispute over how to spend the savings will inevitably
delay and perhaps prevent enactment of the legislation. I urge that the
motion to instruct conferees be defeated.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida [Mr. McCollum].
Mr. McCOLLUM. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I want to respond to the gentleman on the other side of
the aisle with respect to the point that we have not addressed the
crime issue over here, have not created a trust fund, and so forth. The
point is the time to get this thing reserved is now in the budget
process. We will not have the money reserved for when we do need it and
do pass out our bill in a couple of weeks, if we do not have a
protective device through this budget process. So I think the vote on
the motion to instruct is very meaningful, very important, very
straightforward.
{time} 1420
Mr. Speaker, we are going to have the funds necessary to deal with
the war on crime when we do get around to finishing our part in the
next couple of weeks. We need to vote for the motion to instruct
offered by the gentleman from Delaware [Mr. Castle].
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moakley). The question is on the motion
to instruct offered by the gentleman from Delaware [Mr. Castle].
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
recorded vote
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 231,
noes 150, not voting 52, as follows:
[Roll No. 57]
AYES--231
Allard
Andrews (NJ)
Archer
Armey
Bachus (AL)
Baker (CA)
Baker (LA)
Barca
Barcia
Barrett (NE)
Bartlett
Bateman
Bentley
Bereuter
Berman
Bevill
Bilbray
Bishop
Bliley
Blute
Boehlert
Bonilla
Brewster
Browder
Bryant
Bunning
Burton
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Canady
Cantwell
Castle
Chapman
Clement
Clinger
Coble
Collins (GA)
Combest
Cooper
Costello
Cox
Cramer
Crapo
Cunningham
Danner
Darden
de la Garza
Deal
DeFazio
DeLay
Diaz-Balart
Dickey
Doolittle
Dornan
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Edwards (TX)
Emerson
Engel
English
Everett
Ewing
Fingerhut
Fish
Fowler
Franks (CT)
Franks (NJ)
Frost
Furse
Gallegly
Gejdenson
Gekas
Geren
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gingrich
Glickman
Goodlatte
Goodling
Goss
Grams
Grandy
Greenwood
Gunderson
Hall (TX)
Hancock
Hansen
Harman
Hastert
Hefley
Herger
Hobson
Hoekstra
Hoke
Horn
Houghton
Huffington
Hughes
Hunter
Hutchinson
Hutto
Hyde
Inglis
Inhofe
Istook
Johnson (CT)
Johnson, Sam
Kaptur
Kasich
Kennelly
Kim
King
Klein
Klug
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kyl
Lambert
Lancaster
LaRocco
Lazio
Leach
Lehman
Levin
Levy
Lewis (FL)
Linder
Livingston
Lowey
Machtley
Maloney
Manzullo
McCandless
McCollum
McCrery
McCurdy
McDade
McHale
McHugh
McInnis
McKeon
Meyers
Mica
Michel
Molinari
Mollohan
Montgomery
Moorhead
Neal (NC)
Nussle
Oxley
Packard
Pallone
Parker
Paxon
Payne (VA)
Peterson (FL)
Peterson (MN)
Petri
Pickle
Pombo
Pomeroy
Porter
Portman
Poshard
Pryce (OH)
Quinn
Rahall
Ramstad
Ravenel
Reed
Regula
Ridge
Roberts
Roemer
Rogers
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Roth
Roukema
Royce
Sangmeister
Santorum
Sarpalius
Saxton
Schaefer
Schenk
Schiff
Schumer
Sensenbrenner
Shepherd
Shuster
Skeen
Skelton
Smith (IA)
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (OR)
Smith (TX)
Snowe
Spence
Spratt
Stearns
Stenholm
Stump
Stupak
Talent
Tanner
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Thomas (CA)
Thomas (WY)
Torkildsen
Torricelli
Traficant
Valentine
Vucanovich
Walker
Walsh
Waxman
Weldon
Whitten
Wilson
Wise
Wyden
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Zeliff
Zimmer
NOES--150
Ackerman
Andrews (ME)
Applegate
Bacchus (FL)
Baesler
Barlow
Barrett (WI)
Becerra
Beilenson
Blackwell
Bonior
Borski
Boucher
Brown (CA)
Brown (FL)
Brown (OH)
Byrne
Cardin
Carr
Clay
Clayton
Clyburn
Coleman
Collins (MI)
Condit
Conyers
Coppersmith
Coyne
DeLauro
Dellums
Deutsch
Dicks
Dingell
Dixon
Durbin
Edwards (CA)
Ehlers
Eshoo
Evans
Farr
Fawell
Fazio
Fields (LA)
Filner
Flake
Foglietta
Ford (MI)
Frank (MA)
Gephardt
Gilman
Gonzalez
Gordon
Hall (OH)
Hamburg
Hamilton
Hefner
Hilliard
Hinchey
Hoagland
Hochbrueckner
Holden
Hoyer
Inslee
Jacobs
Jefferson
Johnson (SD)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnston
Kanjorski
Kennedy
Kildee
Kleczka
Klink
Kreidler
Lantos
Laughlin
Lewis (GA)
Long
Mann
Manton
Margolies-Mezvinsky
Markey
Martinez
Matsui
Mazzoli
McCloskey
McDermott
McKinney
Meek
Menendez
Mfume
Mineta
Minge
Mink
Moakley
Moran
Morella
Murphy
Myers
Nadler
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Pastor
Payne (NJ)
Penny
Pickett
Price (NC)
Rangel
Richardson
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Sabo
Sanders
Sawyer
Schroeder
Scott
Serrano
Sharp
Shays
Slaughter
Stark
Stokes
Strickland
Studds
Swett
Swift
Synar
Tejeda
Thompson
Thornton
Thurman
Torres
Tucker
Unsoeld
Upton
Velazquez
Vento
Visclosky
Volkmer
Washington
Waters
Wheat
Williams
Wolf
Woolsey
Wynn
Yates
NOT VOTING--52
Abercrombie
Andrews (TX)
Ballenger
Barton
Bilirakis
Boehner
Brooks
Callahan
Collins (IL)
Crane
Derrick
Dooley
Fields (TX)
Ford (TN)
Gallo
Gibbons
Green
Gutierrez
Hastings
Hayes
Johnson (GA)
Kingston
Kopetski
LaFalce
Lewis (CA)
Lightfoot
Lipinski
Lloyd
McMillan
McNulty
Meehan
Miller (CA)
Miller (FL)
Murtha
Natcher
Orton
Owens
Pelosi
Quillen
Reynolds
Rose
Rostenkowski
Rowland
Shaw
Sisisky
Skaggs
Slattery
Solomon
Sundquist
Taylor (NC)
Towns
Watt
{time} 1440
The Clerk announced the following pair:
Mr. Bilirakis for, with Mr. Meehan against.
Messrs. FAWELL, MARKEY, and HOAGLAND changed their vote from ``aye''
to ``no.''
Messrs. BEVILL, BROWDER, POMEROY, and BISHOP changed their vote from
``no'' to ``aye.''
So the motion to instruct was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announed as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Johnson of South Dakota). Without
objection the Chair appoints the following conferees:
From the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service for consideration
of the Senate amendments to the House amendment, and modifications
committed to conference: Mr. Clay, Mr. McCloskey, Ms. Norton, Mr. Myers
of Indiana, and Mrs. Morella.
From the Committee on the Judiciary, for consideration of Senate
amendment numbered 1 and modifications committed to conference: Messrs.
Brooks, Schumer, and Sensenbrenner.
From the Committee on Government Operations, for consideration of
Senate amendment numbered 1 and modifications committed to conference:
Messrs. Conyers, Towns, and Clinger.
From the Committee on Rules, for consideration of Senate amendment
numbered 1 and modifications committed to conference: Messrs. Derrick,
Beilenson, and Solomon.
There was no objection.
____________________