[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 140 (Friday, September 30, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     THE 1995 APPROPRIATIONS BILLS

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the Senate has just cleared the last of the 
13 fiscal year 1995 appropriations bills--the District of Columbia 
bill--for the President's signature. This means that all 13 
appropriation bills will be enacted by the beginning of fiscal year 
1995, which begins just after midnight tonight. This is only the third 
time in the last two decades that all 13 appropriation bills have been 
enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year; the other two occasions 
being 1976 and 1988.
  As all Senators know, we who serve on the Appropriations Committees 
of the House and Senate start out each year with the goal of completing 
action on our appropriation bills in a timely way. We do our best to 
avoid the necessity of continuing resolutions. Over the past 6 years, 
large, omnibus, long-term continuing resolutions have not been 
necessary. But we have had to have temporary, short-term continuing 
resolutions each year since 1988 in order to complete action on certain 
of our appropriation bills.
  One key reason for our success this year was the leadership of the 
chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Mr. David Obey of 
Wisconsin. In my meetings with Chairman Obey soon after he assumed the 
chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee, it was very clear 
that Mr. Obey intended to do everything in his power to expedite House 
action on appropriation bills. That was a very important reason for our 
success. The Senate Appropriations Committee received all 13 regular 
appropriations bills from the House in time to mark them up and bring 
them to the Senate floor well before the August recess. So I wish to 
thank Mr. Obey for a very fine, warm, and cordial relationship, which 
exists between the two of us.

  I thank the Senate majority and the Senate minority leader, Senators 
Mitchell and Dole respectively, for their unfailing cooperation in 
scheduling Senate action for all 13 bills prior to the August recess. I 
also thank my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee for their 
cooperation, not just this year, but every year. These chairmen of 
subcommittees and ranking members and these members of the various 
subcommittees work long and hard to meet their responsibilities on the 
various appropriations subcommittees on which they serve. Our hearings 
and committee markups are, without exception, conducted on a 
nonpartisan basis. I thank, most particularly, the very able ranking 
member of the committee, my good friend and colleague, Senator 
Hatfield, for his splendid wisdom and counsel throughout the year. 
Having served as chairman of the committee for 6 years, Mark Hatfield 
is exceptionally knowledgeable in all appropriation matters and he 
always brings a very well thought out and wise perspective to our 
deliberations. The committee is indeed fortunate in having Mark 
Hatfield as its ranking member.
  I also thank all Senators for their cooperation throughout the year. 
I thank those who raised difficult issues--and there are many difficult 
issues dealt with on these appropriations bills. All Senators have been 
cooperative in scheduling debate on their amendments and in 
understanding that we are often required to compromise, and sometimes 
to delete items of great interest to them from appropriation bills in 
our conferences with the other body.
  I also appreciate the excellent cooperation of the heads of the 
various departments and agencies of the administration who came before 
the committee and presented testimony concerning their budgets. I 
particularly appreciate the support and cooperation of the Office of 
Management and Budget and its directors--both Mr. Panetta and Ms. 
Rivlin. They worked closely with us through each step necessary to 
enact these appropriation bills.
  I thank the fine floor staff for its good work in helping to schedule 
action on the appropriations bills and helping to move them along by 
arranging for the times on which to act and for helping us to arrange 
to get the subcommittee chairmen, the ranking members, and others, to 
the floor.
  Finally, I thank the fine staff which serve both the House and Senate 
Appropriations Committees. These are very capable men and women who 
have dedicated themselves to public service. They work long days and 
many nights and weekends throughout the year in meeting their 
responsibilities. We in Congress, and, I believe I speak for the 
American people as well, owe these professional staff people a debt of 
gratitude.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Akaka). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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