[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H7136-H7149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1996

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hefley). Pursuant to House Resolution 
190 and rule XXIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of 
the Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration 
of the bill, H.R. 2020.

                              {time}  1757


                     in the committee of the whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of 
the bill (H.R. 2020) making appropriations for the Treasury Department, 
the U.S. Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and 
certain independent agencies, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1996, and for other purposes, with Mr. Dreier in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier today, all 
time for general debate had expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered under the 5-minute 
rule by titles and each title shall be considered read.
  During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chairman of the 
Committee of the Whole may accord priority in recognition to a Member 
who has caused an amendment to be printed in the designated place in 
the Congressional Record. Those amendments will be considered read.
  The Clerk will designate title I.
  The text of title I is as follows:
                               H.R. 2020

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the 
     Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Treasury 
     Department, the United States Postal Service, the Executive 
     Office of the President, and certain Independent Agencies, 
     for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and for other 
     purposes, namely:

                  TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

                          Departmental Offices


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Departmental Offices 
     including operation and maintenance of the Treasury Building 
     and Annex; hire of passenger motor vehicles; maintenance, 
     repairs, and improvements of, and purchase of commercial 
     insurance policies for, real properties leased or owned 
     overseas, when necessary for the performance of official 
     business; not to exceed $2,900,000 for official travel 
     expenses; not to exceed $2,950,000 to remain available until 
     September 30, 1998, shall be available for information 
     technology modernization requirements; not to exceed $150,000 
     for official reception and representation expenses; not to 
     exceed $258,000 for unforeseen emergencies of a confidential 
     nature, to be allocated and expended under the direction of 
     the Secretary of the Treasury and to be accounted for solely 
     on his certificate; $104,000,500.
                      Office of Inspector General


                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General 
     in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act 
     of 1978, as amended, hire of passenger motor vehicles; not to 
     exceed $2,000,000 for official travel expenses; not to exceed 
     $100,000 for unforeseen emergencies of a confidential nature, 
     to be allocated and expended under the direction of the 
     Inspector General of the Treasury; $29,319,000.

                  Financial Crimes Enforcement Network


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Financial Crimes Enforcement 
     Network, including hire of passenger motor vehicles; travel 
     expenses of non-Federal personnel to attend meetings 
     concerned with financial intelligence activities, law 
     enforcement, and financial regulation; not to exceed $14,000 
     for official reception and representation expenses; 
     $20,273,000: Provided, That notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, the Director of the Financial Crimes 
     Enforcement Network may procure up to $500,000 in 
     specialized, unique or 

[[Page H 7137]]
     novel automatic data processing equipment, ancillary equipment, 
     software, services, and related resources from commercial 
     vendors without regard to otherwise applicable procurement 
     laws and regulations and without full and open competition, 
     utilizing procedures best suited under the circumstances of 
     the procurement to efficiently fulfill the agency's 
     requirements: Provided further, That funds appropriated in 
     this account may be used to procure personal services 
     contracts.
                Federal Law Enforcement Training Center


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Federal Law Enforcement 
     Training Center, as a bureau of the Department of the 
     Treasury, including materials and support costs of Federal 
     law enforcement basic training; purchase (not to exceed 
     fifty-two for police-type use) and hire of passenger motor 
     vehicles; for expenses for student athletic and related 
     activities; uniforms without regard to the general purchase 
     price limitation for the current fiscal year; the conducting 
     of and participating in firearms matches and presentation of 
     awards; for public awareness and enhancing community support 
     of law enforcement training; not to exceed $7,000 for 
     official reception and representation expenses; room and 
     board for student interns; and services as authorized by 5 
     U.S.C. 3109: Provided, That the Center is authorized to 
     accept and use gifts of property, both real and personal, and 
     to accept services, for authorized purposes, including 
     funding of a gift of intrinsic value which shall be awarded 
     annually by the Director of the Center to the outstanding 
     student who graduated from a basic training program at the 
     Center during the previous fiscal year, which shall be funded 
     only by gifts received through the Center's gift authority: 
     Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, students attending training at any Federal Law 
     Enforcement Training Center site shall reside in on-Center or 
     Center-provided housing, insofar as available and in 
     accordance with Center policy: Provided further, That funds 
     appropriated in this account shall be available for training 
     United States Postal Service law enforcement personnel and 
     Postal police officers, at the discretion of the Director; 
     State and local government law enforcement training on a 
     space-available basis; training of foreign law enforcement 
     officials on a space-available basis with reimbursement of 
     actual costs to this appropriation (except that the Director 
     may waive reimbursement and may pay travel expenses, not to 
     exceed 75 percent of the total training and travel cost, when 
     the Director determines that it is in the public interest to 
     do so); training of private sector security officials on a 
     space-available basis with reimbursement of actual costs to 
     this appropriation; travel expenses of non-Federal personnel 
     to attend State and local course development meetings at the 
     Center: Provided further, That the Center is authorized to 
     obligate funds in anticipation of reimbursements from 
     agencies receiving training at the Federal Law Enforcement 
     Training Center, except that total obligations at the end of 
     the fiscal year shall not exceed total budgetary resources 
     available at the end of the fiscal year:  Provided further, 
     That the Center is authorized to obligate funds to provide 
     for site security and expansion of antiterrorism training 
     facilities: Provided further, That the Federal Law 
     Enforcement Training Center is authorized to provide short 
     term medical services for students undergoing training at the 
     Center; $36,070,000, of which $8,666,000 for materials and 
     support costs of Federal law enforcement basic training shall 
     remain available until September 30, 1998.
     Acquisition, Construction, Improvements, and Related Expenses

       For expansion of the Federal Law Enforcement Training 
     Center, for acquisition of necessary additional real property 
     and facilities, and for ongoing maintenance, facility 
     improvements, and related expenses, $8,163,000, to remain 
     available until expended.
                      Financial Management Service


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Financial Management Service, 
     $181,837,000, of which not to exceed $14,277,000 shall remain 
     available until September 30, 1988 for systems modernization 
     initiatives. In addition, $90,000, to be derived from the Oil 
     Spill Liability Trust Fund, to reimburse the Service for 
     administrative and personnel expenses for financial 
     management of the Fund, as authorized by section 1012 of 
     Public Law 101-380.

                Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco 
     and Firearms, including purchase of not to exceed six hundred 
     and fifty vehicles for police-type use for replacement only 
     and hire of passenger motor vehicles; hire of aircraft; and 
     services of expert witnesses at such rates as may be 
     determined by the Director; for payment of per diem and/or 
     subsistence allowances to employees where an assignment to 
     the National Response Team during the investigation of a 
     bombing or arson incident requires an employee to work 16 
     hours or more per day or to remain overnight at his or her 
     post of duty; not to exceed $10,000 for official reception 
     and representation expenses; for training of State and local 
     law enforcement agencies with or without reimbursement; 
     provision of laboratory assistance to State and local 
     agencies, with or without reimbursement; $391,035,000, of 
     which not to exceed $1,000,000 shall be available for the 
     payment of attorneys' fees as provided by 18 U.S.C. 
     924(d)(2); and of which $1,000,000 shall be available for the 
     equipping of any vessel, vehicle, equipment, or aircraft 
     available for official use by a State or local law 
     enforcement agency if the conveyance will be used in drug-
     related joint law enforcement operations with the Bureau of 
     Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and for the payment of overtime 
     salaries, travel, fuel, training, equipment, and other 
     similar costs of State and local law enforcement officers 
     that are incurred in joint operations with the Bureau of 
     Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms: Provided, That no funds made 
     available by this or any other Act may be used to implement 
     any reorganization of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and 
     Firearms or transfer of the Bureau's functions, missions, or 
     activities to other agencies or Departments in the fiscal 
     year ending on September 30, 1996: Provided further, That no 
     funds appropriated herein shall be available for salaries or 
     administrative expenses in connection with consolidating or 
     centralizing, within the Department of the Treasury, the 
     records, or any portion thereof, of acquisition and 
     disposition of firearms maintained by Federal firearms 
     licensees: Provided further, That no funds appropriated 
     herein shall be used to pay administrative expenses or the 
     compensation of any officer or employee of the United States 
     to implement an amendment or amendments to 27 CFR 178.118 or 
     to change the definition of ``Curios or relics'' in 27 CFR 
     178.11 or remove any item from ATF Publication 5300.11 as it 
     existed on January 1, 1994 without publishing prior notice in 
     the Federal Register and allowing for public comment: 
     Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated herein 
     shall be available to investigate or act upon applications 
     for relief from Federal firearms disabilities under 18 U.S.C. 
     925(c): Provided further, That such funds shall be available 
     to investigate and act upon applications filed by 
     corporations for relief from Federal firearms disabilities 
     under 18 U.S.C. section 925(c).
                     United States Customs Service


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the United States Customs 
     Service, including purchase of up to 1,000 motor vehicles of 
     which 960 are for replacement only, including 990 for police-
     type use and commercial operations; hire of motor vehicles; 
     not to exceed $20,000 for official reception and 
     representation expenses; and awards of compensation to 
     informers, as authorized by any Act enforced by the United 
     States Customs Service; $1,389,829,000, of which such sums as 
     become available in the Customs User Fee Account, except sums 
     subject to section 13031(f)(3) of the Consolidated Omnibus 
     Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (19 U.S.C. 58c(f)(3)), 
     shall be derived from that Account; of the total, not to 
     exceed $150,000 shall be available for payment for rental 
     space in connection with preclearance operations, and not to 
     exceed $4,000,000 shall be available until expended for 
     research: Provided, That uniforms may be purchased without 
     regard to the general purchase price limitation for the 
     current fiscal year: Provided further, That the Commissioner 
     of the Customs Service designate a single individual to be 
     port director of all United States Government activities at 
     two ports of entry, one on the southern border and one on the 
     northern border.
                   harbor maintenance fee collection

       For administrative expenses related to the collection of 
     the Harbor Maintenance Fee, pursuant to Public Law 103-182, 
     $3,000,000, to be derived from the Harbor Maintenance Trust 
     Fund and to be transferred to and merged with the Customs 
     ``Salaries and Expenses'' account for such purposes.
    Operation and Maintenance, Air and Marine Interdiction Programs

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance of marine vessels, aircraft, and 
     other related equipment of the Air and Marine Programs, 
     including operational training and mission-related travel, 
     and rental payments for facilities occupied by the air or 
     marine interdiction or demand reduction programs, the 
     operations of which include: the interdiction of narcotics 
     and other goods; the provision of support to Customs and 
     other Federal, State, and local agencies in the enforcement 
     or administration of laws enforced by the Customs Service; 
     and, at the discretion of the Commissioner of Customs, the 
     provision of assistance to Federal, State, and local agencies 
     in other law enforcement and emergency humanitarian efforts; 
     $60,993,000 of which $5,644,000 shall remain available until 
     expended; in addition, $19,733,000 shall be transferred from 
     the Customs Air and Marine Interdiction Programs, Procurement 
     Account to remain available until expended: Provided, That no 
     aircraft or other related equipment, with the exception of 
     aircraft which is one of a kind and has been identified as 
     excess to Customs requirements, and aircraft which has been 
     damaged beyond repair, shall be transferred to any other 
     Federal agency, Department, or office outside of the 
     Department of the Treasury, during fiscal year 1996, without 
     the prior approval of the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations.

[[Page H 7138]]



                   Customs Services at Small Airports

                  (to be derived from fees collected)

       Such sums as may be necessary, not to exceed $1,406,000, 
     for expenses for the provision of Customs services at certain 
     small airports or other facilities when authorized by law and 
     designated by the Secretary of the Treasury, including 
     expenditures for the salary and expenses of individuals 
     employed to provide such services, to be derived from fees 
     collected by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 
     section 236 of Public Law 98-573 for each of these airports 
     or other facilities when authorized by law and designated by 
     the Secretary of the Treasury, and to remain available until 
     expended.
                       Bureau of the Public Debt


                     Administering the Public Debt

       For necessary expenses connected with any public-debt 
     issues of the United States; $180,065,000: Provided, That the 
     sum appropriated herein from the General Fund for fiscal year 
     1996 shall be reduced by not more than $600,000 as definitive 
     security issue fees are collected and not more than 
     $9,465,000 as Treasury Direct Investor Account Maintenance 
     fees are collected, so as to result in a final fiscal year 
     1996 appropriation from the General Fund estimated at 
     $170,000,000.
                        Internal Revenue Service


                 Processing, Assistance, and Management

       For necessary expenses of the Internal Revenue Service, not 
     otherwise provided for; including processing tax returns; 
     revenue accounting; providing assistance to taxpayers, 
     management services, and inspection; including purchase (not 
     to exceed 150 for replacement only, for police-type use) and 
     hire of passenger motor vehicles (31 U.S.C. 1343(b)); and 
     services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, at such rates as may 
     be determined by the Commissioner: $1,682,742,000, of which 
     $3,700,000 shall be for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly 
     Program, no amount of which shall be available for IRS 
     administrative costs, and of which not to exceed $25,000 
     shall be for official reception and representation expenses.


                          Tax Law Enforcement

       For necessary expenses of the Internal Revenue Service for 
     determining and establishing tax liabilities; tax and 
     enforcement litigation; technical rulings; examining employee 
     plans and exempt organizations; investigation and enforcement 
     activities; securing unfiled tax returns; collecting unpaid 
     accounts; statistics of income and compliance research; the 
     purchase (for police-type use, not to exceed 850), and hire 
     of passenger motor vehicles (31 U.S.C. 1343(b)); and services 
     as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, at such rates as may be 
     determined by the Commissioner $4,254,476,000, of which not 
     to exceed $1,000,000 shall remain available until September 
     30, 1998 for research: Provided, That $13,000,000 shall be 
     used to initiate a program to utilize private sector debt 
     collection agencies in the collection activities of the 
     Internal Revenue Service in compliance with section 104 of 
     this Act.
                          Information Systems

       For necessary expenses for data processing and 
     telecommunications support for Internal Revenue Service 
     activities, including: tax systems modernization (modernized 
     developmental systems), modernized operational systems, 
     services and compliance, and support systems; and for the 
     hire of passenger motor vehicles (31 U.S.C. 1343(b)); and 
     services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, at such rates as may 
     be determined by the Commissioner; $1,575,216,000, of which 
     up to $185,000,000 for tax and information systems 
     development projects shall remain available until September 
     30, 1998: Provided, That of the funds appropriated for tax 
     systems modernization, $70,000,000 may not be obligated until 
     the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service reports to 
     the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate on 
     the implementation of Tax Systems Modernization.


          Administrative Provisions--Internal Revenue Service

       Section 1. Not to exceed 2 per centum of any appropriation 
     made available to the Internal Revenue Service for the 
     current fiscal year by this Act may be transferred to any 
     other Internal Revenue Service appropriation upon the advance 
     approval of the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations: Provided, That notwithstanding any other 
     provision of this Act, the Internal Revenue Service is 
     authorized to transfer such sums as may be necessary between 
     appropriations with advance approval of the House and Senate 
     Appropriations Committees: Provided further, That no funds 
     shall be transferred from the ``Tax Law Enforcement'' account 
     during fiscal year 1996.
       Sec. 2. The Internal Revenue Service shall institute and 
     maintain a training program to insure that Internal Revenue 
     Service employees are trained in taxpayers' rights, in 
     dealing courteously with the taxpayers, and in cross-cultural 
     relations.
                      United States Secret Service


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the United States Secret Service, 
     including purchase (not to exceed 665 vehicles for police-
     type use for replacement only) and hire of passenger motor 
     vehicles; hire of aircraft; training and assistance requested 
     by State and local governments, which may be provided without 
     reimbursement; services of expert witnesses at such rates as 
     may be determined by the Director; rental of buildings in the 
     District of Columbia, and fencing, lighting, guard booths, 
     and other facilities on private or other property not in 
     Government ownership or control, as may be necessary to 
     perform protective functions; for payment of per diem and/or 
     subsistence allowances to employees where a protective 
     assignment during the actual day or days of the visit of a 
     protectee require an employee to work 16 hours per day or to 
     remain overnight at his or her post of duty; the conducting 
     of and participating in firearms matches; presentation of 
     awards; and for travel of Secret Service employees on 
     protective missions without regard to the limitations on such 
     expenditures in this or any other Act: Provided, That 
     approval is obtained in advance from the House and Senate 
     Committees on Appropriations; for repairs, alterations, and 
     minor construction at the James J. Rowley Secret Service 
     Training Center; for research and development; for making 
     grants to conduct behavioral research in support of 
     protective research and operations; not to exceed $12,500 for 
     official reception and representation expenses; not to exceed 
     $50,000 to provide technical assistance and equipment to 
     foreign law enforcement organizations in counterfeit 
     investigations; for payment in advance for commercial 
     accommodations as may be necessary to perform protective 
     functions; and for uniforms without regard to the general 
     purchase price limitation for the current fiscal year; 
     $542,461,000.
                    Violent Crime Reduction Programs
       For activities authorized by Public Law 103-322, to remain 
     available until expended, which shall be derived from the 
     Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund, as follows:
       (a) As authorized by section 190001(e), $51,686,000, of 
     which: $33,865,000 shall be available to the United States 
     Customs Service for expenses associated with ``Operation 
     Hardline''; $2,221,000 to the Financial Crimes Enforcement 
     Network; $3,100,000 to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and 
     Firearms for the development and dissemination of ballistic 
     technologies as part of the ``Ceasefire'' program; 
     $10,000,000 to the United States Secret Service; and 
     $2,500,000 to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in 
     Glynco, Georgia; and
       (b) As authorized by section 32401, $12,200,000, for 
     disbursement through grants, cooperative agreements or 
     contracts, to local governments for Gang Resistance Education 
     and Training: Provided, That notwithstanding sections 32401 
     and 310001, such funds shall be allocated only to the 
     affected State and local law enforcement and prevention 
     organizations participating in such projects.
             General Provisions--Department of the Treasury

       Section 101. Any obligation or expenditure by the Secretary 
     in connection with law enforcement activities of a Federal 
     agency or a Department of the Treasury law enforcement 
     organization in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 9703(g)(4)(B) from 
     unobligated balances remaining in the Fund on September 30, 
     1996, shall be made in compliance with the reprogramming 
     guidelines contained in the House and Senate reports 
     accompanying this Act.
       Sec. 102. Appropriations to the Treasury Department in this 
     Act shall be available for uniforms or allowances therefor, 
     as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5901), including maintenance, 
     repairs, and cleaning; purchase of insurance for official 
     motor vehicles operated in foreign countries; purchase of 
     motor vehicles without regard to the general purchase price 
     limitation for vehicles purchased and used overseas for the 
     current fiscal year; entering into contracts with the 
     Department of State for the furnishing of health and medical 
     services to employees and their dependents serving in foreign 
     countries; and services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109.
       Sec. 103. Not to exceed 2 per centum of any appropriations 
     in this Act for the Department of the Treasury may be 
     transferred between such appropriations. Notwithstanding any 
     authority to transfer funds between appropriations contained 
     in this or any other Act, no transfer may increase or 
     decrease any appropriation in this Act by more than 2 per 
     centum and any such proposed transfers shall be approved in 
     advance by the Committees on Appropriations of the House and 
     Senate.
       Sec. 104. None of the funds appropriated by this title 
     shall be used in connection with the collection of any 
     underpayment of any tax imposed by the Internal Revenue Code 
     of 1986 unless the conduct of officers and employees of the 
     Internal Revenue Service in connection with such collection, 
     including any private sector employees under contract to the 
     Internal Revenue Service, complies with subsection (a) of 
     section 805 (relating to communications in connection with 
     debt collection), and section 806 (relating to harassment or 
     abuse), of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 
     1692).
       Sec. 105. The Internal Revenue Service shall institute 
     policies and procedures which will safeguard the 
     confidentiality of taxpayer information.
       Sec. 106. The funds provided to the Bureau of Alcohol, 
     Tobacco and Firearms for fiscal year 1996 in this Act for the 
     enforcement of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act shall 
     be expended in a manner so as not to diminish enforcement 
     efforts with respect to section 105 of the Federal Alcohol 
     Administration Act.
       This title may be cited as the ``Treasury Department 
     Appropriations Act, 1996''.

[[Page H 7139]]


                              {time}  1800

  The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Dreier). Are there any amendments to title I?


                    amendment offered by mrs. kelly

  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mrs. Kelly: Page 9, line 20, strike 
     ``$1,389,829,000'' and insert ``$1,392,429,000''.
       Page 14, line 10, strike ``$1,575,216,000'' and insert 
     ``$1,571,616,000''.

  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is very simple and 
straightforward. It reduces the appropriated amount for Internal 
Revenue Service by $3.6 million and transfers this amount to the 
salaries and expenses account for the Customs Service.
  Passage of my amendment will mean that the total appropriation for 
the IRS will be equal with that of the 1995 level, while assisting the 
Customs Service with the important work that it does on a daily basis.
  Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple but it sends a strong and direct 
message to the American people. We are all making tough discussions 
across the board to reduce spending and live within our means and I see 
no reason why we should not expect the IRS to do the same.
  These moneys can be better spent by the Customs Service, and I urge 
my colleagues to support this proposal.
  Mr. FRISA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. KELLY. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. FRISA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Kelly-Frisa 
amendment to equalize funding for the Internal Revenue Service to the 
same amount appropriated under the 1995 fiscal year.
  At a time when we are asking other agencies and programs to be more 
efficient, to use dollars more wisely, in some cases do with less but 
still maintain the same level of services, and in other cases where we 
are appropriating smaller increases for programs to still be able to 
balance our budget, I think it is essential that we provide no more 
funding for the Internal Revenue Service for the 1996 fiscal year than 
we have for the past year.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  Mr. Chairman, I have had an opportunity to review the amendment 
proposed by the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Kelly]. I simply want 
to state that we have no objection to the amendment and urge its 
adoption.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of 
words.
  Mr. Chairman, I have had the opportunity to discuss this matter with 
the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Lightfoot]. It is my own view that neither 
IRS nor Customs have sufficient funds, but I understand the thrust of 
the amendment and we will not oppose it on this side.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Kelly].
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The CHAIRMAN. Are there further amendments to title I?
  If not, the Clerk will designate title II.
  The text of title II is as follows:

                        TITLE II--POSTAL SERVICE

                     Payments to the Postal Service


                   payment to the postal service fund

       For payment to the Postal Service Fund for revenue forgone 
     on free and reduced rate mail, pursuant to subsections (c) 
     and (d) of section 2401 of title 39, United States Code; 
     $85,080,000: Provided, That mail for overseas voting and mail 
     for the blind shall continue to be free: Provided further, 
     That six-day delivery and rural delivery of mail shall 
     continue at not less than the 1983 level: Provided further, 
     That none of the funds made available to the Postal Service 
     by this Act shall be used to implement any rule, regulation, 
     or policy of charging any officer or employee of any State or 
     local child support enforcement agency, or any individual 
     participating in a State or local program of child support 
     enforcement, a fee for information requested or provided 
     concerning an address of a postal customer: Provided further, 
     That none of the funds provided in this Act shall be used to 
     consolidate or close small rural and other small post offices 
     in the fiscal year ending on September 30, 1996.


      payment to the postal service fund for nonfunded liabilities

       For payment to the Postal Service Fund for meeting the 
     liabilities of the former Post Office Department to the 
     Employees' Compensation Fund pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 2004, 
     $36,828,000.
       This title may be cited as the ``Postal Service 
     Appropriations Act, 1996''.

  The CHAIRMAN. Are there amendments to title II?
  If not, the Clerk will designate title III.
  The text of title III is as follows:
TITLE III--EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO 
                             THE PRESIDENT

                     Compensation of the President

       For compensation of the President, including an expense 
     allowance at the rate of $50,000 per annum as authorized by 3 
     U.S.C. 102; $250,000: Provided, That none of the funds made 
     available for official expenses shall be expended for any 
     other purpose and any unused amount shall revert to the 
     Treasury pursuant to section 1552 of title 31 of the United 
     States Code: Provided further, That none of the funds made 
     available for official expenses shall be considered as 
     taxable to the President.
                         The White House Office


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses for the White House as authorized by 
     law, including not to exceed $3,850,000 for services as 
     authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 3 U.S.C. 105; including 
     subsistence expenses as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 105, which 
     shall be expended and accounted for as provided in that 
     section; hire of passenger motor vehicles, newspapers, 
     periodicals, teletype news service, and travel (not to exceed 
     $100,000 to be expended and accounted for as provided by 3 
     U.S.C. 103); not to exceed $19,000 for official entertainment 
     expenses, to be available for allocation within the Executive 
     Office of the President; $39,459,000.
                 Executive Residence at the White House


                           Operating Expenses

       For the care, maintenance, repair and alteration, 
     refurnishing, improvement, heating and lighting, including 
     electric power and fixtures, of the Executive Residence at 
     the White House and official entertainment expenses of the 
     President; $7,522,000, to be expended and accounted for as 
     provided by 3 U.S.C. 105, 109-110, 112-114.
                Official Residence of the Vice President


                           Operating Expenses

       For the care, operation, refurnishing, improvement, heating 
     and lighting, including electric power and fixtures, of the 
     official residence of the Vice President, the hire of 
     passenger motor vehicles, and not to exceed $90,000 for 
     official entertainment expenses of the Vice President, to be 
     accounted for solely on his certificate; $324,000: Provided, 
     That advances or repayments or transfers from this 
     appropriation may be made to any department or agency for 
     expenses of carrying out such activities.
                  Special Assistance to the President


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses to enable the Vice President to 
     provide assistance to the President in connection with 
     specially assigned functions, services as authorized by 5 
     U.S.C. 3109 and 3 U.S.C. 106, including subsistence expenses 
     as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 106, which shall be expended and 
     accounted for as provided in that section; and hire of 
     passenger motor vehicles; $3,175,000.
                      Office of Policy Development


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Policy Development, 
     including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, and 3 
     U.S.C. 107; $3,867,000.

                       National Security Council


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the National Security Council, 
     including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; 
     $6,459,000.

                        Office of Administration


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Administration; 
     $25,736,000, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 
     3109 and 3 U.S.C. 107, and hire of passenger motor vehicles.

                    Office of Management and Budget


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Management and 
     Budget, including hire of passenger motor vehicles, services 
     as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; $55,426,000, of which no more 
     than $6,631,000 shall be available for the Office of National 
     Security and International Affairs, no more than $6,699,000 
     shall be available for the Office of General Government and 
     Finance, no more than $7,368,000 shall be available for the 
     Office of Natural Resources, Energy and Science, no more than 
     $4,085,000 shall be available for the Office of Health and 
     Personnel, no more than $3,867,000 shall be available for the 
     Office of Human Resources, no more than $2,325,000 shall be 
     available for the Office of Federal Financial Management, no 
     more than $5,198,000 shall be available for the Office of 
     Information and Regulatory Affairs, no more than $2,407,000 
     shall be available for the Office of Federal Procurement 
     Policy, no more than $16,912,000 shall be available for the 
     Office of the Director, the Office of the Deputy Director, 
     the Office of the Deputy Director for Management, the Office 
     of Communications, the Office of the General Counsel, the 
     Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Economic Policy, 
     the Office of Administration, the Legislative Reference 
     Division, and 

[[Page H 7140]]
     the Budget Review Division, of which not to exceed $5,000,000 shall be 
     available to carry out the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapter 
     35: Provided, That, as provided in 31 U.S.C. 1301(a), 
     appropriations shall be applied only to the objects for which 
     appropriations were made except as otherwise provided by law: 
     Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated in this 
     Act for the Office of Management and Budget may be used for 
     the purpose of reviewing any agricultural marketing orders or 
     any activities or regulations under the provisions of the 
     Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 (7 U.S.C. 601 et 
     seq.): Provided further, That none of the funds made 
     available for the Office of Management and Budget by this Act 
     may be expended for the altering of the transcript of actual 
     testimony of witnesses, except for testimony of officials of 
     the Office of Management and Budget, before the Committee on 
     Appropriations or the Committee on Veterans' Affairs or their 
     subcommittees: Provided further, That this proviso shall not 
     apply to printed hearings released by the Committee on 
     Appropriations or the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
                 Office of National Drug Control Policy


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Office of National Drug 
     Control Policy; for research activities pursuant to title I 
     of Public Law 100-690; not to exceed $8,000 for official 
     reception and representation expenses; for participation in 
     joint projects or in the provision of services on matters of 
     mutual interest with nonprofit, research, or public 
     organizations or agencies, with or without reimbursement; 
     $20,062,000, of which $10,200,000, to remain available until 
     expended, shall be available to the Counter-Drug Technology 
     Assessment Center for counternarcotics research and 
     development projects and shall be available for transfer to 
     other Federal departments or agencies, and of which $600,000 
     shall be transferred to the Drug Enforcement Administration 
     for the El Paso Intelligence Center: Provided, That the 
     Office is authorized to accept, hold, administer, and utilize 
     gifts, both real and personal, for the purpose of aiding or 
     facilitating the work of the Office.

                          Unanticipated Needs

       For expenses necessary to enable the President to meet 
     unanticipated needs, in furtherance of the national interest, 
     security, or defense which may arise at home or abroad during 
     the current fiscal year; $1,000,000.

                     Federal Drug Control Programs


             High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program

                     (Including Transfer of Funds)

       For necessary expenses of the Office of National Drug 
     Control Policy's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas 
     Program, $104,000,000 for drug control activities consistent 
     with the approved strategy for each of the designated High 
     Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, of which no less than 
     $52,000,000 shall be transferred to State and local entities 
     for drug control activities; and of which up to $52,000,000 
     may be transferred to Federal agencies and departments at a 
     rate to be determined by the Director; and of which up to 
     $3,000,000 may be available to the Director for transfer to 
     Federal agencies, or State and local entities, or non-profit 
     organizations to support special demonstration projects that 
     provide systematic programming to reduce drug use and 
     trafficking in designated targeted areas: Provided, That the 
     funds made available under this head shall be obligated 
     within 90 days of the date of enactment of this Act, except 
     those funds made available to the Director to support special 
     demonstration projects which shall be obligated by June 1, 
     1996.
       This title may be cited as the ``Executive Office 
     Appropriations Act, 1996''.

  The CHAIRMAN. Are there amendments to title III?
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  Mr. Chairman, I will be brief. In this title, unfortunately, as I 
mentioned in my opening statement, we find a number of cuts that I 
think are inappropriate.
  Mr. Chairman, I am not, frankly, going to offer any amendments. Some 
are not in order and I understand that and I have discussed with the 
gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Lightfoot], my friend the gentleman's 
perception that a couple of these are not in order.
  For instance, asking to reinstate the funding for the Council of 
Economic Advisors, the White House residents, the special assistants to 
the President, the National Security Council, the Office of 
Administration and the Office of Management and Budget, all of which 
have been cut.
  Mr. Chairman, I simply rise to express opposition to some of these 
cuts; not all. The OMB, obviously, is subject to scrutiny review and to 
such budget action as we deem appropriate. But in terms of the internal 
agencies of the White House itself, that is the President's personal 
staff to accomplish his objectives as President, not as leader of the 
executive department but as President and chief policymaker of the 
land.
  The fact of the matter is, Mr. Chairman, I said earlier, in times 
past we did not cut those sums under President Reagan and President 
Bush. There were some exceptions to that statement that I have just 
made, but it proved the rule.
  I regret that we had these cuts, contrary to my chairman, I believe 
some of them are pretty significant, but we will not be offering 
amendments at this time and I will hope that we can restore these in 
conference.
  The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to title III?
  If not, the Clerk will designate title IV.
  The text of title IV is as follows:
                     TITLE IV--INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
 Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Committee for Purchase From 
     People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled established by the 
     Act of June 23, 1971, Public Law 92-28; $1,682,000.
                      Federal Election Commission


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the 
     Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended; 
     $26,521,000, of which no less than $1,500,000 shall be 
     available for internal automated data processing systems,  of 
     which not to exceed $5,000 shall be available for reception 
     and representation expenses: Provided, That none of the funds 
     appropriated for automated data processing systems may be 
     obligated until the Chairman of the Federal Election 
     Commission provides to the House Committee on Appropriations 
     a systems requirements analysis on the development of such a 
     system.
                   Federal Labor Relations Authority


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses to carry out functions of the 
     Federal Labor Relations Authority, pursuant to Reorganization 
     Plan Numbered 2 of 1978, and the Civil Service Reform Act of 
     1978, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, 
     including hire of experts and consultants, hire of passenger 
     motor vehicles, rental of conference rooms in the District of 
     Columbia and elsewhere; $19,742,000: Provided, That public 
     members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel may be paid 
     travel expenses and per diem in lieu of subsistence as 
     authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5703) for persons employed 
     intermittently in the Government service, and compensation as 
     authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109: Provided further, That 
     notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302, funds received from fees 
     charged to non-Federal participants at labor-management 
     relations conferences shall be credited to and merged with 
     this account, to be available without further appropriation 
     for the costs of carrying out these conferences.

                    General Services Administration

                         Federal Buildings Fund


                 limitations on availability of revenue

       The revenues and collections deposited into the Fund 
     established pursuant to section 210(f) of the Federal 
     Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended 
     (40 U.S.C. 490(f)), shall be available for necessary expenses 
     of real property management and related activities not 
     otherwise provided for, including operation, maintenance, and 
     protection of Federally owned and leased buildings; rental of 
     buildings in the District of Columbia; restoration of leased 
     premises; moving governmental agencies (including space 
     adjustments and telecommunications relocation expenses) in 
     connection with the assignment, allocation and transfer of 
     space; contractual services incident to cleaning or servicing 
     buildings, and moving; repair and alteration of federally 
     owned buildings including grounds, approaches and 
     appurtenances; care and safeguarding of sites; maintenance, 
     preservation, demolition, and equipment; acquisition of 
     buildings and sites by purchase, condemnation, or as 
     otherwise authorized by law; acquisition of options to 
     purchase buildings and sites; conversion and extension of 
     Federally owned buildings; preliminary planning and design of 
     projects by contract or otherwise; construction of new 
     buildings (including equipment for such buildings); and 
     payment of principal, interest, taxes, and any other 
     obligations for public buildings acquired by installment 
     purchase and purchase contract, in the aggregate amount of 
     $5,066,822,000, of which (1) not to exceed $367,777,000 shall 
     remain available until expended for construction of 
     additional projects at locations and at maximum construction 
     improvement costs (including funds for sites and expenses and 
     associated design and construction services) as follows:
       New Construction:
       Colorado:
       Lakewood, Denver Federal Center, U.S. Geological Survey Lab 
     Building, $10,321,000
       Florida:
       Tallahassee, U.S. Courthouse Annex, $9,606,000
       Georgia:
       Savannah, U.S. Courthouse Annex, $1,039,000
       Louisiana:
       Lafayette, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 
     $11,826,000
       Maryland:
       Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Food and Drug 
     Administration, Phase II, $65,764,000

[[Page H 7141]]

       Nebraska:
       Omaha, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, $21,370,000
       Nevada:
       Las Vegas, U.S. Courthouse, $38,404,000
       New Mexico:
       Albuquerque, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 
     $2,450,000
       New York:
       Brooklyn, U.S. Courthouse, $49,040,000
       Central Islip, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 
     $75,641,000
       North Dakota:
       Pembina, Border Station, $4,445,000
       Ohio:
       Youngstown, U.S. Courthouse, $6,974,000
       Pennsylvania:
       Scranton, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Annex, 
     $9,638,000
       South Carolina:
       Columbia, U.S. Courthouse Annex, $1,425,000
       Texas:
       Austin, Veterans Affairs Annex, $3,176,000
       Brownsville, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 
     $10,981,000
       Washington:
       Blaine, U.S. Border Station, $6,168,000
       Point Roberts, U.S. Border Station, $1,406,000
       West Virginia:
       Martinsburg, Internal Revenue Service Computer Center, 
     $25,363,000
       Non-Prospectus Projects Program, $12,740,000:
     Provided, That each of the immediately foregoing limits of 
     costs on new construction projects may be exceeded to the 
     extent that savings are effected in other such projects, but 
     not to exceed 10 per centum unless advanced approval is 
     obtained from the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations of a greater amount: Provided further, That 
     the $6,000,000 under the heading of non-prospectus 
     construction projects, made available in Public Laws 102-393 
     and 103-123 for the acquisition, lease, construction and 
     equipping of flexiplace work telecommuting centers, is hereby 
     increased by $5,000,000 from funds made available in this Act 
     for non-prospectus construction projects, all of which shall 
     remain available until expended: Provided further, That of 
     the $5,000,000 made available by this Act, half shall be used 
     for telecommuting centers in the State of Virginia and half 
     shall be used for telecommuting centers in the State of 
     Maryland: Provided further, That all funds for direct 
     construction projects shall expire on September 30, 1997, and 
     remain in the Federal Buildings Fund except funds for 
     projects as to which funds for design or other funds have 
     been obligated in whole or in part prior to such date: 
     Provided further, That claims against the Government of less 
     than $250,000 arising from direct construction projects, 
     acquisitions of buildings and purchase contract projects 
     pursuant to Public Law 92-313, be liquidated with prior 
     notification to the Committees on Appropriations of the House 
     and Senate to the extent savings are effected in other such 
     projects; (2) not to exceed $713,086,000 shall remain 
     available until expended, for repairs and alterations which 
     includes associated design and construction services: 
     Provided further, That funds in the Federal Buildings Fund 
     for Repairs and Alterations shall, for prospectus projects, 
     be limited to the amount by project as follows, except each 
     project may be increased by an amount not to exceed 10 per 
     centum unless advance approval is obtained from the 
     Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate of a 
     greater amount:
       Repairs and Alterations:
       Arkansas:
       Little Rock, Federal Building, $7,551,000
       California:
       Sacramento, Federal Building (2800 Cottage Way), 
     $13,636,000
       Colorado:
       Lakewood, Denver Federal Center Building 25, $29,351,000
       District of Columbia:
       Heating Plant Stacks, $11,141,000
       Lafayette Building, $33,157,000
       ICC/Connecting Wing Complex/Customs (phase 2/3), 
     $58,275,000
       Treasury Department Building, Repair and Alteration, 
     $7,194,000
       White House, Roof Repair and Restoration, $2,220,000
       Illinois:
       Chicago, Federal Center, $45,971,000
       Maryland:
       Woodlawn, SSA East High-Low Buildings, $17,422,000
       New York:
       New York, Silvio V. Mollo Federal Building, $4,182,000
       North Dakota:
       Bismarck, Federal Building, Post Office and U.S. 
     Courthouse, $7,119,000
       Pennsylvania:
       Philadelphia, SSA Building, Mid-Atlantic Program Service 
     Center, $11,376,000
       Puerto Rico:
       Old San Juan, Post Office and U.S. Courthouse, $25,701,000
       Texas:
       Dallas, Federal Building (Griffin St.), $5,641,000
       Washington:
       Richland, Federal Building, U.S. Post Office and 
     Courthouse, $12,724,000
       Nationwide:
       Chlorofluorocarbons Program, $50,430,000
       Elevator Program, $13,109,000
       Energy Program, $25,000,000
       Advance Design, $24,608,000
       Basic Repairs and Alterations, $307,278,000: Provided 
     further, That additional projects for which prospectuses have 
     been fully approved may be funded under this category only if 
     advance approval is obtained from the Committees on 
     Appropriations of the House and Senate: Provided further, 
     That the difference between the funds appropriated and 
     expended on any projects in this or any prior Act, under the 
     heading ``Repairs and Alterations'', may be transferred to 
     Basic Repairs and Alterations or used to fund authorized 
     increases in prospectus projects: Provided further, That all 
     funds for repairs and alterations prospectus projects shall 
     expire on September 30, 1997, and remain in the Federal 
     Buildings Fund except funds for projects as to which funds 
     for design or other funds have been obligated in whole or in 
     part prior to such date: Provided further, That of the funds 
     provided for Advanced Design, $100,000 shall be made 
     available for architectural design studies for renovation of 
     the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and a 
     biocontainment facility at the National Animal Disease 
     Center, Ames, Iowa: Provided further, That the amount 
     provided in this or any prior Act for Basic Repairs and 
     Alterations may be used to pay claims against the Government 
     arising from any projects under the heading ``Repairs and 
     Alterations'' or used to fund authorized increases in 
     prospectus projects; (3)  not to exceed $181,963,000 for 
     installment acquisition payments including payments on 
     purchase contracts which shall remain available until 
     expended; (4) not to exceed $2,341,100,000 for rental of 
     space which shall remain available until expended; and (5) 
     not to exceed $1,389,463,000 for building operations which 
     shall remain available until expended: Provided further, That 
     funds available to the General Services Administration shall 
     not be available for expenses in connection with any 
     construction, repair, alteration, and acquisition project for 
     which a prospectus, if required by the Public Buildings Act 
     of 1959, as amended, has not been approved, except that 
     necessary funds may be expended for each project for required 
     expenses in connection with the development of a proposed 
     prospectus: Provided further, That the General Services 
     Administration shall establish a ``Federal Triangle Office'' 
     reporting directly to the Commissioner of the Public 
     Buildings Service for the purpose of completing the design 
     and construction of the Federal Triangle Building: Provided 
     further, That the Federal Triangle Office shall continue to 
     utilize the procurement and operating procedures established 
     for the project pursuant to the Federal Triangle Development 
     Act (40 U.S.C. 1104), and to implement and enforce the 
     Development Agreement and other contracts and agreements 
     developed for the project: Provided further, That the 
     Administrator is authorized to enter into and perform such 
     leases, contracts, or other transactions with any agency or 
     instrumentality of the United States, the several States or 
     the District of Columbia, or with any person, firm, 
     association, or corporation as may be necessary to implement 
     the Federal Triangle Project: Provided further, That for the 
     purposes of this authorization, buildings constructed 
     pursuant to the purchase contract authority of the Public 
     Buildings Amendments of 1972 (40 U.S.C. 602a), buildings 
     occupied pursuant to installment purchase contracts, and 
     buildings under the control of another department or agency 
     where alterations of such buildings are required in 
     connection with the moving of such other department or agency 
     from buildings then, or thereafter to be, under the control 
     of the General Services Administration shall be considered to 
     be federally owned buildings: Provided further, That funds 
     available in the Federal Buildings Fund may be expended for 
     emergency repairs when advance approval is obtained from the 
     Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate: 
     Provided further, That amounts necessary to provide 
     reimbursable special services to other agencies under section 
     210(f)(6) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services 
     Act of 1949, as amended (40 U.S.C. 490(f)(6)) and amounts to 
     provide such reimbursable fencing, lighting, guard booths, 
     and other facilities on private or other property not in 
     Government ownership or control as may be appropriate to 
     enable the United States Secret Service to perform its 
     protective functions pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3056, as amended, 
     shall be available from such revenues and collections: 
     Provided further, That revenues and collections and any other 
     sums accruing to this Fund during fiscal year 1996, excluding 
     reimbursements under section 210(f)(6) of the Federal 
     Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 
     490(f)(6)) in excess of $5,066,822,000 shall remain in the 
     Fund and shall not be available for expenditure except as 
     authorized in appropriations Acts.
                          Policy and Oversight

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided, for 
     government-wide policy and oversight activities associated 
     with asset management, property management, supply 
     management, travel and transportation, telecommunications and 
     information technology; to fund the Board of Contract 
     Appeals; services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; and not to 
     exceed $5,000 for official reception and representation 
     expenses; $62,499,000.
                           Operating Expenses

       For expenses authorized by law, not otherwise provided for, 
     necessary for utilization of excess and surplus personal 
     property; transportation; procurement; supply; and 
     information technology activities; the utilization survey, 
     deed compliance inspection, appraisal, environmental and 
     cultural analysis, 

[[Page H 7142]]
     and land use planning functions pertaining to excess and surplus real 
     property; accounting, records management, and other support 
     services incident to adjudication of Indian Tribal Claims by 
     the United States Court of Federal Claims; services as 
     authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; $49,130,000.


                      Office of Inspector General

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General 
     and services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, $32,549,000: 
     Provided, That not to exceed $5,000 shall be available for 
     payment for information and detection of fraud against the 
     Government, including payment for recovery of stolen 
     Government property: Provided further, That not to exceed 
     $2,500 shall be available for awards to employees of other 
     Federal agencies and private citizens in recognition of 
     efforts and initiatives resulting in enhanced Office of 
     Inspector General effectiveness.


           Allowances and Office Staff for Former Presidents

       For carrying out the provisions of the Act of August 25, 
     1958, as amended (3 U.S.C. 102 note), and Public Law 95-138; 
     $2,181,000: Provided, That the Administrator of General 
     Services shall transfer to the Secretary of the Treasury such 
     sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of such 
     Acts.


          General Provisions--General Services Administration

       Section 1. The appropriate appropriation or fund available 
     to the General Services Administration shall be credited with 
     the cost of operation, protection, maintenance, upkeep, 
     repair, and improvement, included as part of rentals received 
     from Government corporations pursuant to law (40 U.S.C. 129).
       Sec. 2. Funds available to the General Services 
     Administration shall be available for the hire of passenger 
     motor vehicles.
       Sec. 3. Funds in the Federal Buildings Fund made available 
     for fiscal year 1996 for Federal Buildings Fund activities 
     may be transferred between such activities only to the extent 
     necessary to meet program requirements. Any proposed 
     transfers shall be approved in advance by the Committees on 
     Appropriations of the House and Senate.
       Sec. 4. No funds made available by this Act shall be used 
     to transmit a fiscal year 1997 request for United States 
     Courthouse construction that does not meet the standards for 
     construction as established by the General Services 
     Administration and the Office of Management and Budget and 
     does not reflect the priorities of the Administrative Office 
     of the Courts as set out in its approved five-year 
     construction plan.
       Sec. 5. The Administrator of General Services is authorized 
     to accept and retain income received by the General Services 
     Administration on or after October 1, 1993, from Federal 
     agencies and non-Federal sources, to defray costs directly 
     associated with the functions of flexiplace work 
     telecommuting centers.
       Sec. 6. Of the $11,000,000 made available by this Act and 
     Public Laws 102-393 and 103-123 for flexiplace work 
     telecommuting centers, not less than $2,200,000 shall be 
     available for immediate transfer to the Charles County 
     Community College, to provide facilities, equipment, and 
     other services to the General Services Administration for the 
     purposes of establishing telecommuting work centers in 
     Southern Maryland (Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary's County) 
     for use by Government agencies designated by the 
     Administrator of General Services: Provided, That the 
     language providing authority to pay a public entity in the 
     State of Maryland, not to exceed $1,300,000 for the purpose 
     of establishing telecommuting work centers in Southern 
     Maryland, under the heading ``Federal Buildings Fund 
     Limitations on Availability of Revenue'' in Public Law 103-
     329 (108 Stat. 2400), is hereby repealed.
       Sec. 7. Not to exceed 5 percent of funds made available 
     under the heading ``Operating Expenses'' and ``Office of 
     Policy and Oversight'' may be transferred between such 
     appropriations upon the advance approval of the House and 
     Senate Committees on Appropriations.

           John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board

       For necessary expenses to carry out the John F. Kennedy 
     Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, $2,150,000.
                     Merit Systems Protection Board


                         Salaries and Expenses

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For necessary expenses to carry out functions of the Merit 
     Systems Protection Board pursuant to Reorganization Plan 
     Numbered 2 of 1978 and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, 
     including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, rental of 
     conference rooms in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, 
     hire of passenger motor vehicles, and direct procurement of 
     survey printing, $21,129,000, together with not to exceed 
     $2,430,000 for administrative expenses to adjudicate 
     retirement appeals to be transferred from the Civil Service 
     Retirement and Disability Fund in amounts determined by the 
     Merit Systems Protection Board.
              National Archives and Records Administration


                           operating expenses

       For necessary expenses in connection with the 
     administration of the National Archives and records and 
     related activities, as provided by law, and for expenses 
     necessary for the review and declassification of documents, 
     and for the hire of passenger motor vehicles, $193,291,000: 
     Provided, That the Archivist of the United States is 
     authorized to use any excess funds available from the amount 
     borrowed for construction of the National Archives facility, 
     for expenses necessary to move into the facility.
        National Historical Publications and Records Commission


                             grants program

       For necessary expenses for allocations and grants for 
     historical publications and records as authorized by 44 
     U.S.C. 2504, as amended, $4,000,000 to remain available until 
     expended.
                      Office of Government Ethics


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses to carry out functions of the Office 
     of Government Ethics pursuant to the Ethics in Government Act 
     of 1978, as amended by Public Law 100-598, and the Ethics 
     Reform Act of 1989, Public Law 101-194, including services as 
     authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, rental of conference rooms in 
     the District of Columbia and elsewhere, hire of passenger 
     motor vehicles, and not to exceed $1,500 for official 
     reception and representation expenses; $7,776,000.

                     Office of Personnel Management


                         Salaries and Expenses

                  (including transfer of trust funds)

       For necessary expenses to carry out functions of the Office 
     of Personnel Management pursuant to Reorganization Plan 
     Numbered 2 of 1978 and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, 
     including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, medical 
     examinations performed for veterans by private physicians on 
     a fee basis, rental of conference rooms in the District of 
     Columbia and elsewhere, hire of passenger motor vehicles, not 
     to exceed $2,500 for official reception and representation 
     expenses, and advances for reimbursements to applicable funds 
     of the Office of Personnel Management and the Federal Bureau 
     of Investigation for expenses incurred under Executive Order 
     10422 of January 9, 1953, as amended; $85,524,000 and in 
     addition $102,536,000 for administrative expenses, to be 
     transferred from the appropriate trust funds of the Office of 
     Personnel Management without regard to other statutes, 
     including direct procurement of health benefits printing, for 
     the retirement and insurance programs, of which $11,300,000 
     shall be transferred at such times as the Office of Personnel 
     Management deems appropriate, and shall remain available 
     until expended for the costs of automating the retirement 
     recordkeeping systems, together with remaining amounts 
     authorized in previous Acts for the recordkeeping systems: 
     Provided, That the provisions of this appropriation shall not 
     affect the authority to use applicable trust funds as 
     provided by section 8348(a)(1)(B) of title 5, United States 
     Code: Provided further, That, except as may be consistent 
     with 5 U.S.C. 8902a(f)(1) and (i), no payment may be made 
     from the Employees Health Benefits Fund to any physician, 
     hospital, or other provider of health care services or 
     supplies who is, at the time such services or supplies are 
     provided to an individual covered under chapter 89 of title 
     5, United States Code, excluded, pursuant to section 1128 or 
     1128A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7-1320a-
     7a), from participation in any program under title XVIII of 
     the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.): Provided 
     further, That no part of this appropriation shall be 
     available for salaries and expenses of the Legal Examining 
     Unit of the Office of Personnel Management established 
     pursuant to Executive Order 9358 of July 1, 1943, or any 
     successor unit of like purpose: Provided further, That the 
     President's Commission on White House Fellows, established by 
     Executive Order 11183 of October 3, 1964, may, during the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, accept donations of 
     money, property, and personal services in connection with the 
     development of a publicity brochure to provide information 
     about the White House Fellows, except that no such donations 
     shall be accepted for travel or reimbursement of travel 
     expenses, or for the salaries of employees of such 
     Commission: Provided further, That no funds appropriated 
     herein shall be used to pay administrative expenses or the 
     compensation of any officer or employee of the United States 
     to implement a reduction in force in the Office of Federal 
     Investigations prior to June 30, 1996.


                      Office of Inspector General

                         salaries and expenses

                  (including transfer of trust funds)

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General 
     in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act, 
     as amended, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 
     3109, hire of passenger motor vehicles: $4,009,000, and in 
     addition, not to exceed $6,181,000 for administrative 
     expenses to audit the Office of Personnel Management's 
     retirement and insurance programs, to be transferred from the 
     appropriate trust funds of the Office of Personnel 
     Management, as determined by the Inspector General: Provided, 
     That the Inspector General is authorized to rent conference 
     rooms in the District of Columbia and elsewhere.


      Government Payment for Annuitants, Employees Health Benefits

       For payment of Government contributions with respect to 
     retired employees, as authorized by chapter 89 of title 5, 
     United States Code, and the Retired Federal Employees Health 
     Benefits Act (74 Stat. 849), as amended, $3,746,337,000 to 
     remain available until expended.
     
[[Page H 7143]]



       Government Payment for Annuitants, Employee Life Insurance

       For payment of Government contributions with respect to 
     employees retiring after December 31, 1989, as required by 
     chapter 87 of title 5, United States Code, such sums as may 
     be necessary.


        Payment to Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund

       For financing the unfunded liability of new and increased 
     annuity benefits becoming effective on or after October 20, 
     1969, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 8348, and annuities under 
     special Acts to be credited to the Civil Service Retirement 
     and Disability Fund, such sums as may be necessary: Provided, 
     That annuities authorized by the Act of May 29, 1944, as 
     amended, and the Act of August 19, 1950, as amended (33 
     U.S.C. 771-75), may hereafter be paid out of the Civil 
     Service Retirement and Disability Fund.

           General Provisions--Office of Personnel Management

       Section 1. Section 1104 of title 5, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (2)--
       (i) by striking ``(except competitive examinations for 
     administrative law judges appointed under section 3105 of 
     this title)''; and
       (ii) by striking the semicolon at the end of paragraph (2) 
     and inserting in lieu thereof a period; and
       (B) by striking the matter following paragraph (2) through 
     ``principles.''; and
       (2) in subsection (b) by adding at the end the following 
     new paragraph:
       ``(4) At the request of the head of an agency to whom a 
     function has been delegated under subsection (a)(2), the 
     Office may provide assistance to the agency in performing 
     such function. Such assistance shall, to the extent 
     determined appropriate by the Director of the Office, be 
     performed on a reimbursable basis through the revolving fund 
     established under section 1304(e).''.
       Sec. 2. Subparagraph (B) of section 8348(a)(1) of title 5, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``in making an allotment or assignment 
     made by an individual under section 8345(h) or 8465(b) of 
     this title,'' after ``law),''; and
       (2) by striking ``title 26;'' and inserting ``title 26 or 
     section 8345(k) or 8469 of this title;''.
       Sec. 3. Section 4(a) of the Federal Workforce Restructuring 
     Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-226; 108 Stat. 111) is amended--
       (1) by deleting ``Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995'' and 
     inserting in lieu thereof: ``Voluntary Separation Incentive 
     Payments.--''; and
       (2) in paragraph (1)(A) by striking ``and before October 1, 
     1995,''.
       Sec. 4. Title 5, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in the second section designated as section 3329 (as 
     added by section 4431(a) of Public Law 102-484)--
       (A) by redesignating such section as section 3330; and
       (B) by adding at the end thereof the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(f) The Office may, to the extent it determines 
     appropriate, charge such fees to agencies for services 
     provided under this section and for related Federal 
     employment information. The Office shall retain such fees to 
     pay the costs of providing such services and information.''; 
     and
       (2) in the table of sections for chapter 33 by amending the 
     second item relating to section 3329 to read as follows:

``3330. Government-wide list of vacant positions.''.
                       Office of Special Counsel


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses to carry out functions of the Office 
     of Special Counsel pursuant to Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 
     of 1978, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-
     454), the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (Public Law 
     101-12), Public Law 103-424, and the Uniformed Services 
     Employment and Reemployment Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-353), 
     including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, payment of 
     fees and expenses for witnesses, rental of conference rooms 
     in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, and hire of 
     passenger motor vehicles; $7,840,000.

                        United States Tax Court


                         Salaries and Expenses

       For necessary expenses, including contract reporting and 
     other services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; $32,899,000: 
     Provided, That travel expenses of the judges shall be paid 
     upon the written certificate of the judge.
       This title may be cited as the ``Independent Agencies 
     Appropriations Act, 1996''.

  The CHAIRMAN. Are there any points of order against title IV? Are 
there any amendments to title IV?
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  Again, I am not going to offer an amendment, again because I have not 
had that amendment protected by the rule. I regret that, and under the 
rule that we have adopted, unless I cut from this title, I cannot 
restore an item that has been cut out entirely. I think that is an 
unfortunate procedural situation into which I have been put and other 
Members of the Congress have been put.
  Having said that, although I will not offer an amendment, I am 
hopeful that in conference we will restore the ACIR. That is an 
organization established some years ago to serve as an Advisory 
Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
  The new leadership of this House and the Senate has talked about a 
significant change. That change would incorporate shifting additional 
responsibilities back to the States and local governments in terms of 
getting rid of unfunded mandates and in terms of block granting certain 
programs. All of that gives additional responsibilities to the States 
and local governments and heightens the focus on how we are 
interrelating as a Federal Government with our States and localities.
  Mr. Chairman, I think it regrettable that a small agency, with which 
many of us have participated in years past as state legislators, is 
being put on the chopping block by the committee's action. But, again, 
it is not in order for me to offer this amendment, so I will not, but I 
am hopeful, Mr. Chairman, that we will have, if the Senate puts it back 
in, the ability to retain it in conference. It is a very small sum of 
money, with, in my opinion, a very large payoff.
  The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to title IV?
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to strike the last 
word.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, because I have not offered an additional 
amendment, I understand the Chairman's observation. The Federal 
Election Commission is an agency that has great interest in this body. 
Obviously, it deals with each and every one of us in terms of 
overseeing our accounts.
  It has the responsibility of monitoring our campaign finance laws and 
our disclosure. Clearly the nub of campaign reform was allowing the 
public to know from whom we receive money, how much money we receive, 
and how we spend that money so the public can make an informed judgment 
as to whether or not there is a nexus between the positions we take and 
the financial support that we get.
  That is, in my opinion, the nub of campaign reform. It is critical. 
But if the public does not get that information in a timely fashion, it 
is not useful to them.
  Therefore, in my opinion, it is important to fully fund the FEC. The 
Chairman's mark is $2.5 million below the Commission's request. This is 
not an increase, as the committee suggests. It is only an increase if 
you assume the $1.4 million rescission that has not been signed into 
law. As a matter of
 fact, that rescission languishes in the other body. As a result, this 
is a cut in the FEC's appropriation.

  The impact of the rescission would be to reduce the staff and, 
therefore, reduce its ability to oversee our accounts. Again, Mr. 
Chairman, I think this is an unwise move that we have taken. I am not 
going to offer an amendment to restore the money, but I want the 
chairman, as I have told him privately, to know and the House to know, 
that I intend to work to see if this money can be restored as we go to 
conference.
  The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to title IV?
  If not, the Clerk will designate title V.
  The text of title V is as follows:
                      TITLE V--GENERAL PROVISIONS

                                This Act

       Section 501. No part of any appropriation made available in 
     this Act shall be used for the purchase or sale of real 
     estate or for the purpose of establishing new offices inside 
     or outside the District of Columbia: Provided, That this 
     limitation shall not apply to programs which have been 
     approved by the Congress and appropriations made therefor.
       Sec. 502. 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. 503. The expenditure of any appropriation under this 
     Act for any consulting service through procurement contract, 
     pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109, shall be limited to those 
     contracts where such expenditures are a matter of public 
     record and available for public inspection, except where 
     otherwise provided under existing law, or under existing 
     Executive order issued pursuant to existing law.

[[Page H 7144]]

       Sec. 504. None of the funds made available to the General 
     Services Administration pursuant to section 210(f) of the 
     Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 
     shall be obligated or expended after the date of enactment of 
     this Act for the procurement by contract of any guard, 
     elevator operator, messenger or custodial services if any 
     permanent veterans preference employee of the General 
     Services Administration at said date, would be terminated as 
     a result of the procurement of such services, except that 
     such funds may be obligated or expended for the procurement 
     by contract of the covered services with sheltered workshops 
     employing the severely handicapped under Public Law 92-28. 
     Only if such workshops decline to contract for the provision 
     of the covered services may the General Services 
     Administration procure the services by competitive contract, 
     for a period not to exceed 5 years. At such time as such 
     competitive contract expires or is terminated for any reason, 
     the General Services Administration shall again offer to 
     contract for the services from a sheltered workshop prior to 
     offering such services for competitive procurement.
       Sec. 505. None of the funds made available by this Act 
     shall be available for any activity or for paying the salary 
     of any Government employee where funding an activity or 
     paying a salary to a Government employee would result in a 
     decision, determination, rule, regulation, or policy that 
     would prohibit the enforcement of section 307 of the Tariff 
     Act of 1930.
       Sec. 506. None of the funds made available by this Act 
     shall be available for the purpose of transferring control 
     over the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center located at 
     Glynco, Georgia, and Artesia, New Mexico, out of the Treasury 
     Department.
       Sec. 507. No part of any appropriation contained in this 
     Act shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes within 
     the United States not heretofore authorized by the Congress.
       Sec. 508. No part of any appropriation contained in this 
     Act shall be available for the payment of the salary of any 
     officer or employee of the United States Postal Service, 
     who--
       (1) prohibits or prevents, or attempts or threatens to 
     prohibit or prevent, any officer or employee of the United 
     States Postal Service from having any direct oral or written 
     communication or contact with any Member or committee of 
     Congress in connection with any matter pertaining to the 
     employment of such officer or employee or pertaining to the 
     United States Postal Service in any way, irrespective of 
     whether such communication or contact is at the initiative of 
     such officer or employee or in response to the request or 
     inquiry of such Member or committee; or
       (2) removes, suspends from duty without pay, demotes, 
     reduces in rank, seniority, status, pay, or performance of 
     efficiency rating, denies promotion to, relocates, reassigns, 
     transfers, disciplines, or discriminates in regard to any 
     employment right, entitlement, or benefit, or any term or 
     condition of employment of, any officer or employee of the 
     United States Postal Service, or attempts or threatens to 
     commit any of the foregoing actions with respect to such 
     officer or employee, by reason of any communication or 
     contact of such officer or employee with any Member or 
     committee of Congress as described in paragraph (1) of this 
     subsection.
       Sec. 509. Funds under this Act shall be available as 
     authorized by sections 4501-4506 of title 5, United States 
     Code, when the achievement involved is certified, or when an 
     award for such achievement is otherwise payable, in 
     accordance with such sections. Such funds may not be used for 
     any purpose with respect to which the preceding sentence 
     relates beyond fiscal year 1996.
       Sec. 510. The Office of Personnel Management may, during 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, accept donations 
     of supplies, services, land and equipment for the Federal 
     Executive Institute, the Federal Quality Institute, and 
     Management Development Centers to assist in enhancing the 
     quality of Federal management.
       Sec. 511. The United States Secret Service may, during the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, accept donations of 
     money to off-set costs incurred while protecting former 
     Presidents and spouses of former Presidents when the former 
     President or spouse travels for the purpose of making an 
     appearance or speech for a payment of money or any thing of 
     value.
       Sec. 512. None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to withdraw the designation of the Virginia Inland 
     Port at Front Royal, Virginia, as a United States Customs 
     Service port of entry.
       Sec. 513. No part of any appropriation contained in this 
     Act shall be available to pay the salary for any person 
     filling a position, other than a temporary position, formerly 
     held by an employee who has left to enter the Armed Forces of 
     the United States and has satisfactorily completed his period 
     of active military or naval service and has within ninety 
     days after his release from such service or from 
     hospitalization continuing after discharge for a period of 
     not more than one year made application for restoration to 
     his former position and has been certified by the Office of 
     Personnel Management as still qualified to perform the duties 
     of his former position and has not been restored thereto.
       Sec. 514. None of the funds made available in this Act may 
     be used to provide any non-public information such as mailing 
     or telephone lists to any person or any organization outside 
     of the Federal Government without the approval of the House 
     and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
       Sec. 515. Compliance With Buy American Act.--No funds 
     appropriated pursuant to this Act may be expended by an 
     entity unless the entity agrees that in expending the 
     assistance the entity will comply with sections 2 through 4 
     of the Act of March 3, 1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a-10c, popularly 
     known as the ``Buy American Act'').
       Sec. 516. Sense of Congress; Requirement Regarding 
     Notice.--(a) Purchase of American-Made Equipment and 
     Products.--In the case of any equipment or products that may 
     be authorized to be purchased with financial assistance 
     provided under this Act, it is the sense of the Congress that 
     entities receiving such assistance should, in expending the 
     assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and 
     products.
       (b) Notice to Recipients of Assistance.--In providing 
     financial assistance under this Act, the Secretary of the 
     Treasury shall provide to each recipient of the assistance a 
     notice describing the statement made in subsection (a) by the 
     Congress.
       Sec. 517. Prohibition of Contracts.--If it has been finally 
     determined by a court or Federal agency that any person 
     intentionally affixed a label bearing a ``Made in America'' 
     inscription, or any inscription with the same meaning, to any 
     product sold in or shipped to the United States that is not 
     made in the United States, such person shall be ineligible to 
     receive any contract or subcontract made with funds provided 
     pursuant to this Act, pursuant to the debarment, suspension, 
     and ineligibility procedures described in section 9.400 
     through 9.409 of title 48, Code of Federal Regulations.
       Sec. 518. Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, 
     not to exceed 50 percent of unobligated balances remaining 
     available at the end of fiscal year 1996 from appropriations 
     made available for salaries and expenses for fiscal year 1996 
     in this Act, shall remain available through September 30, 
     1997 for each such account for the purposes authorized: 
     Provided, That a request shall be submitted to the House and 
     Senate Committees on Appropriations for approval  prior to 
     the expenditure of such funds.
       Sec. 519. Where appropriations in this Act are expendable 
     for travel expenses of employees and no specific limitation 
     has been placed thereon, the expenditures for such travel 
     expenses may not exceed the amount set forth therefore in the 
     budget estimates submitted for appropriations without the 
     advance approval of the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations: Provided, That this section shall not apply 
     to travel performed by uncompensated officials of local 
     boards and appeal boards in the Selective Service System; to 
     travel performed directly in connection with care and 
     treatment of medical beneficiaries of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs; to travel of the Office of Personnel 
     Management in carrying out its observation responsibilities 
     of the Voting Rights Act; or to payments to interagency motor 
     pools separately set forth in the budget schedules.
       Sec. 520. Notwithstanding any other provision of law or 
     regulation: (1) The authority of the special police officers 
     of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, in the Washington, 
     DC Metropolitan area, extends to buildings and land under the 
     custody and control of the Bureau; to buildings and land 
     acquired by or for the Bureau through lease, unless otherwise 
     provided by the acquisition agency; to the streets, sidewalks 
     and open areas immediately adjacent to the Bureau along 
     Wallenberg Place (15th Street) and 14th Street between 
     Independence and Maine Avenues and C and D Streets between 
     12th and 14th Streets; to areas which include surrounding 
     parking facilities used by Bureau employees, including the 
     lots at 12th and C Streets, SW, Maine Avenue and Water 
     Streets, SW, Maiden Lane, the Tidal Basin and East Potomac 
     Park; to the protection in transit of United States 
     securities, plates and dies used in the production of United 
     States securities, or other products or implements of the 
     Bureau of Engraving and Printing which the Director of that 
     agency so designates; (2) The exercise of police authority by 
     Bureau officers, with the exception of the exercise of 
     authority upon property under the custody and control of the 
     Bureau, shall be deemed supplementary to the Federal police 
     force with primary jurisdictional responsibility. This 
     authority shall be in addition to any other law enforcement 
     authority which has been provided to these officers under 
     other provisions of law or regulations.
       Sec. 521. Section 5378 of Title 5, United States Code, is 
     amended by adding: ``(8) Chief--not more than the maximum 
     rate payable for GS-14.''
       Sec. 522. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, there 
     is hereby established in the Treasury of the United States, a 
     United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund (the ``Fund''): 
     Provided, That all receipts from Mint operations and 
     programs, including the production and sale of numismatic 
     items, the production and sale of circulating coinage, the 
     protection of Government assets, and gifts and bequests of 
     property, real or personal shall be deposited into the Fund 
     and shall be available without fiscal year limitations: 
     Provided further, That all expenses incurred by the Secretary 
     of the Treasury for operations and programs of the United 
     States Mint that the Secretary of the Treasury determines, in 
     the Secretary's sole discretion, to be ordinary and 
     reasonable incidents of Mint operations and programs, 

[[Page H 7145]]
     and any expense incurred pursuant to any obligation or other commitment 
     of Mint operations and programs that was entered into before 
     the establishment of the Fund, shall be paid out of the Fund: 
     Provided further, That not to exceed 6.2415 percent of the 
     nominal value of the coins minted, shall be paid out of the 
     Fund for the circulating coin operations and programs: 
     Provided further, That the Secretary of the Treasury may 
     borrow such funds from the General Fund as may be necessary 
     to meet existing liabilities and obligations incurred prior 
     to the receipt of revenues into the Fund and the General Fund 
     shall be reimbursed for such funds by the Fund within one 
     year of the date of the loan and retain receipts from the 
     Federal Reserve System from the sale of circulating coins at 
     face value for deposit into the Fund; and transfer to the 
     Fund all assets and liabilities of the Mint operations and 
     programs, including all Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund 
     assets and liabilities, all receivables, unpaid obligations 
     and unobligated balances from the Mint's appropriation, the 
     Coinage Profit Fund, and the Coinage Metal Fund, and the land 
     and buildings of the Philadelphia Mint, Denver Mint, and the 
     Fort Knox Bullion Depository: Provided further, That the 
     Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund, the Coinage Profit Fund 
     and the Coinage Metal Fund shall cease to exist as separate 
     funds as their activites and functions are subsumed under and 
     subject to the Fund, and the requirements of 31 USC 
     5134(c)(4), (c)(5)(B), and (d) and (e) of the Numismatic 
     Public Enterprise Fund shall apply to the Fund: Provided 
     further, That at such times as the Secretary of the Treasury 
     determines appropriate, but not less than annually, any 
     amount in the Fund that is determined to be in excess of the 
     amount required by the Fund shall be transferred to the 
     Treasury for deposit as miscellaneous receipts: Provided 
     further, That the term ``Mint operations and programs'' means 
     (1) the activities concerning, and assets utilized in, the 
     production, administration, distribution, marketing, 
     purchase, sale, and management of coinage, numismatic items, 
     the protection and safeguarding of Mint assets and those non-
     Mint assets in the custody of the Mint, and the Fund; and (2) 
     includes capital, personnel salaries and compensation, 
     functions relating to operations, marketing, distribution, 
     promotion, advertising, official reception and 
     representation, the acquisition or replacement of equipment, 
     the renovation or modernization of facilities, and the 
     construction or acquisition of new buildings: Provided 
     further, That the term ``numismatic item'' means any medal, 
     proof coin, uncirculated coin, bullion coin, or other coin 
     specifically designated by statute as a numismatic item, 
     including products and accessories related to any such medal, 
     coin, or item.
       Sec. 523. Section 531 of Public Law 103-329, is amended by 
     inserting, ``of the first section'', after ``adding at the 
     end''.
       Sec. 524. No funds appropriated by this Act shall be 
     available to pay for an abortion, or the administrative 
     expenses in connection with any health plan under the Federal 
     employees health benefit program which provides any benefits 
     or coverage for abortions.
       Sec. 525. The provision of section 524 shall not apply 
     where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus 
     were carried to term.
       Sec. 526. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
     Administrator of General Services shall delegate the 
     authority to procure automatic data processing equipment for 
     the Tax Systems Modernization Program to the Secretary of the 
     Treasury: Provided, That the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall have the authority to revoke such 
     delegation upon the written recommendation of the 
     Administrator that the Secretary's actions under such 
     delegation are inconsistent with the goals of economic and 
     efficient procurement and utilization of automatic data 
     processing equipment: Provided further, That for all other 
     purposes, a procurement conducted under such delegation shall 
     be treated as if made under a delegation by the Administrator 
     pursuant to 40 U.S.C. 759.
       Sec. 527. Relief of Certain Periodical Publications.--For 
     mail classification purposes under section 3626 of title 39, 
     United States Code, and any regulations of the United States 
     Postal Service for the administration of that section, a 
     weekly second-class periodical publication which--
       (i) is eligible to publish legal notices under any 
     applicable laws of the State where it is published;
       (ii) is eligible to be mailed at the rates for mail under 
     former subsection 4358 (a), (b), and (c) of title 39, United 
     States Code, as limited by current subsection 3626(g) of that 
     title; and
       (iii) the pages of which were customarily secured by 2 
     staples before March 19, 1989;
     shall not be considered to be a bound publication solely 
     because its pages continue to be secured by 2 staples after 
     that date.
       Sec. 528. None of the funds in this Act may be obligated or 
     expended for employee training that does not meet identified 
     needs for knowledge, skills and abilities bearing directly 
     upon the performance of official duties.
       Sec. 529. (a) Prior to February 15, 1996, none of the funds 
     appropriated by this Act may, with respect to an individual 
     employed by the Bureau of the Public Debt in the Washington 
     metropolitan region on April 10, 1991, be used to separate, 
     reduce the grade or pay of, or carry out any other adverse 
     personnel action against such individual for declining to 
     accept a directed reassignment to a position outside such 
     region, pursuant to a transfer of any such Bureau's 
     operations or functions to Parkersburg, West Virginia.
       (b) Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to any 
     individual who, prior to February 15, 1996, declines an offer 
     of another position in the Department of the Treasury which 
     is of at least equal pay and which is within the Washington 
     metropolitan region.

  The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to title V?


                     amendment offered by mr. hoyer

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mr. Hoyer:
       Amendment No. 6: Strike everything from ``Sec. 524'' on 
     page 63 line 22 through ``term.'' on line 5 page 64.

  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HOYER. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask unanimous consent 
that all debate on this amendment and all amendments thereto close in 
30 minutes, since we have got this 7 o'clock cutoff that we are 
supposed to meet here tonight to go to the other provision.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, we had put an hour on this, but I have a lot 
of Members on my side of the aisle. I would agree to a limitation to 7 
o'clock, but I would not want to go further than that.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, that is agreeable. That is fine with me. 
That way we could finish the amendment up.
  The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman's unanimous consent request is that all 
debate end by 7 o'clock on this amendment and all amendments thereto?
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. And equally divided on the time.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I agree to this time restraint, 
notwithstanding the fact this is an issue of great emotional impact and 
great political interest in this body and throughout the country.
  This issue deals with the question of abortion. But I would suggest 
to the Members of this House, it does not deal with the public funding 
of abortion and that is the issue on which we have substantial 
disagreement.
  The fact of the matter is, we have carried in this bill for some 
period of time the issue of the Federal employee health benefit plans. 
During the last 3 years we struck from the bill a prohibition on the 
use of funds which the public employees supply to the purchase of their 
Federal employment health policies.
  Now, let me put this in context. There are available to Federal 
employees approximately 345 health benefit plans. A substantial number 
of those plans provide for the termination of pregnancy. The choice of 
whether to secure those plans is that of the employees.
  Mr. Chairman, a Federal employee, like private sector employees, is 
paid three ways in their compensation package. Now, the private sector 
may have additional. They may have stock options, educational options, 
training options, all sorts of things of that nature, but essentially a 
Federal employee has three options.

                              {time}  1815

  Those three options are: Salary. A Federal employee is paid X number 
of dollars as salary.
  In addition, the Federal employee is told, if you work for us, part 
of your compensation package will be the payment of 72 percent of your 
health care premium, your being the employee's, not the Federal 
Government's. That is part of the employee's benefit package.
  Third, part of that benefit package is their pension; and we make a 
contribution towards their retirement, of course, as we do on all other 
Federal and State and local and private sector employees, a FICA 
contribution since 1983.
  Now, what does that mean? That means the employee has, as a 
compensation package, those three elements. What the amendment that the 
Chairman has put back, that the committee and full committee has put 
back in the bill is a provision that again says that none of the funds 
in 

[[Page H 7146]]
this bill may be used to purchase health care insurance which covers 
the termination of pregnancy, that is, abortion.
  Now, again, I said, this is a very controversial and emotional 
debate. But ladies and gentlemen of this House, this deals with the 
employee's choice, not the Federal Government's choice. When we had the 
health care debate in this House, many Members on the other side of the 
aisle and this side of the aisle said that they believed that 
individuals ought to have their choice in purchasing their health care 
program, not the Government's choice, not Members of Congress's choice, 
but the individual's choice. And because they work for the Federal 
Government they should have no less rights than any other person who 
works in America and gets a health care benefit as part of their 
compensation package, not the Federal Government's.
  This is no more Federal money than their salary is. After all, and I 
would hope that everybody would pay attention, we pay them the salary. 
That is out of Federal dollars. Are we to say you can't spend that 
money except in certain ways and only as we choose because that is 
Federal money? Is that what our position is, that we are going to 
control their salary dollars?
  The Federal employee compensation, health care contribution is their 
money. This amendment undermines their compensation package. It is 
wrong. It undermines their own free choice, not of an abortion but of 
how they spend their money.
  I want to tell my friends on that side of the aisle who perceive 
themselves as conservatives, I would hope that a number of them I see 
on that side of the aisle who are conservatives, who perceive 
themselves as conservative--the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon] 
is pointing to himself. I presume he will vote with me on this 
amendment. I hope he will.
  The fact of the matter is, I perceive conservatives taking the 
position that really government ought to stay out of, to the greatest 
extent possible, personal decisions, personal lives. That is how I 
perceive conservatives, and that you perceive liberals as those who 
want to get government into people's lives and making decisions for 
them that you think can be better made by the individual.
  I suggest if that is your philosophy you ought to vote with me to 
strike this language, because you are substituting the Government's 
decision here for the individual's decision here.
  Mr. Chairman, I would urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Hoyer 
amendment to strike this prohibition.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by my 
friend from Maryland. Basically, what we did in the bill, between 1984 
and 1993, language was carried in the bill which prohibited paying for 
health coverage that included abortions under the Federal Health 
Benefit Plan. This was changed in 1993 to allow that to happen. Very 
simply, we took the language out that put that restriction in place, 
returning us back to the original language which had been in place 
since 1984.
  At this point in time, the issue I think boils around should we force 
taxpayers to pay for something to which there is a great deal of 
opposition. I think we can argue this thing for hours, and we are not 
going to change some people's positions on the issue one way or the 
other. And I certainly understand that and respect people who feel very 
strongly on both sides of the issue.
  But because it is a controversial issue, I believe that is why the 
original language was put in place back in 1984 which basically said 
that we would not, through any taxpayer funds, be funding abortions. In 
essence, as I have mentioned, we are just going back to that original 
language. That is all we did.
  There is concern, I understand, from a number of my colleagues, and 
quite frankly I share their concern, that the language says that it is 
only in the case of the life of the mother. It does not include the 
incest and rape provision that is in what we have come to know as the 
Hyde amendment.
  Unfortunately, to put that language in becomes legislating on an 
appropriations bill. We are very loathe to do that sort of thing, and 
we have never carried that language in this bill. So that is the reason 
it is not in there.
  I would say to my colleagues who feel very strongly that that should 
be part of it, that I agree with them and would work during conference 
to try to get that language included as well.
  Just a brief history on the situation, if you look at how FEHB works, 
perhaps some enlightenment to those who don't participate in the plan 
is in order. It is a private insurance system. The Federal Government 
has a set of private companies who offer insurance to Federal 
employees. All of us who work for the Federal Government get a list of 
25 or 30 insurance companies, and we can select from those companies 
which one we want to provide our coverage, and we pay the premiums and 
so on.
  In 1995, there were 345 insurance companies under the Federal 
Employee Health Benefit Plan. Abortion coverage was offered by 178 of 
them. Not quite half.
  Since taxpayer money comes in to make up the Government's matching 
part of the premium and is used for the Government's matching part of 
the premium, a portion of this premium is also paid out of the 
employee's pocket, which obviously they have the right to do with 
whatever they want to do.
  There have been attempts, I think, to compromise on the issue 
allowing Federal employees to pay for the abortion coverage themselves.
  The biggest problem we had, and I offered to work with the gentleman 
from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] on that, is that it will not work for the 
simple reason that OPM indicates insurance companies would charge a 
high price for the coverage, almost as high as the cost of the abortion 
itself, since the companies would assume that the only employees likely 
to use it would want it. That means that the only viable option is that 
contained in this bill which says a Federal employee who wants an 
abortion would have to pay for it themselves.
  The bill prohibits any insurance company from offering abortion 
coverage under FEHB unless the life of the mother is threatened. It is 
the same language, again, that was carried from 1984 up until 1993 when 
insurance coverage for abortions was reinstated after having been 
banned over that period of years.
  I think it is a grave matter of personal conscience. I would urge 
Members to think this through carefully to try to take the emotion out 
of the argument, which is difficult to do, but I think it is necessary 
to do, and oppose the amendment, and really allow us just to return our 
bill back to what has been in place since 1984.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. 
Smith].
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chairman, I thank my good friend for 
yielding time to me.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to vote no on the Hoyer amendment, which 
would gut the every effective language that was put into the 
legislation by the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Iowa 
[Mr. Lightfoot]. Let me just remind Members, as the chairman pointed 
out so well, the language that is in the bill was current law 
throughout the 1980's and into the 1990's, but regrettably during the 
last Congress we were unable to get the language put back into the 
appropriations bill so we began paying for abortion on demand as part 
of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
  Mr. Chairman, I think it is becoming increasingly clear by way of 
public opinion polls, by way of the kind of feedback that we are all 
getting from our home districts, that people do not want to subsidize 
abortion on demand, they do not want taxpayer funds or premium funds 
being used to subsidize for willful killing of unborn children simply 
because they are inconvenient, simply because it is a matter of a birth 
control abortion or for some other reason.
  Make no mistake about it. The Hoyer amendment, if it succeeds, would 
usher in abortion on demand at any time during the pregnancy, and we 
would have situations where babies are literally dismembered or 
chemically poisoned simply because we were subsidizing and providing 
the wherewithal to kill those babies.
  Taxpayers do not want any part of this. Let me make that clear. We 
saw with the national health care reform 

[[Page H 7147]]
debate last year, which unfortunately never happened because all of us 
heard from our constituents that they did not want to provide premium 
dollars or tax dollars for this grisly business.
  Let me remind Members, too, that as part of the Federal employees 
health benefits plan taxpayers foot approximately 70 percent of the 
contribution. I think everyone knows that Federal employees, including 
Members of Congress, do not pay the whole freight, if you will, the 
entire bill when it comes to our Federal Employees Health Benefits 
Program.
  An overwhelming amount of it, 70 percent, 72 percent to be exact, is 
footed by the taxpayer. So this is a government-taxpayer-funded issue, 
not unlike the Hyde amendment. So I would remind Members that if they 
are for the Hyde amendment they have to be against the Hoyer amendment 
and for the underlying language that Chairman Lightfoot put in.
  You know, I think it is becoming increasingly clear as well, Mr. 
Chairman, and the fight and debate that is going on in the Committee on 
the Judiciary on the partial birth abortion whereby children are 
literally almost completely born only to be killed by the abortionist 
by sucking the brain out of the baby. And this goes on. And those who 
accuse those of us on this side of trying to inflame or in any way 
emotionalize this issue, it is the pro-abortion side, I would submit, 
that has to apologize or at least explain why they do this kind of 
violence, why they inflict this kind of violence on unborn children.
  Well, the dirty secret of the abortion movement itself are the 
methods themselves, the chemical poisonings that go on, the injections 
of high concentrated salt solutions that literally pickle the baby 
alive inside the mother's uterus, usually takes about 2 hours for the 
baby to die. It is a very slow and gruesome death. The child swallows, 
gulps the salt-filled amniotic water, the water inside the amniotic 
sac, to die a very cruel death.
  That is what we would subsidize if we go with the Hoyer amendment, 
because saline abortions are done in those HMO's and in those hospitals 
and under the auspices of the Federal Employees Health Benefits 
Program.
  We would also be subsidizing the dismemberment of unborn children, 
again, the dirt secret of the abortion movement, a child literally 
dismembered, arms, legs, torso, head, completely cut.
  Nobody wants to talk about that. People roll their eyes and say we 
are bringing emotion into this. These are the plain facts of what 
abortion does to a baby.
  It is violence. We need to be providing positive, nonviolent 
alternatives to women who have distressful pregnancies, not providing 
and facilitating by way of taxpayer dollars the killing of their unborn 
children.
  Let me also point out that the Federal Employees Health Benefits 
Program does not distinguish between lower and upper income employees. 
Without the Lightfoot language, taxpayers subsidize most of the costs 
of all Federal employees and their families, even those making over 
$100,000, so we would be paying for abortions for them as well.
  I want to just conclude by reminding Members unborn children are not 
warts, a pregnancy is not a disease, and if we go with Mr. Hoyer's 
amendment we will be saying that if a child, simply because he or she 
is inconvenient or unwanted, we will provide the wherewithal, we will 
provide the means, the money to have that child destroyed.

                              {time}  1830

  Reject the Hoyer amendment, it is anti-child, and support the 
underlying language of the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Lightfoot].
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, for the information of the Members, it appears, because 
of the leadership on the majority side's desire to move toward a 
decision on the issue regarding the audit report tonight, that we would 
like to conclude this debate tonight and resume tomorrow morning, so 
that it would be our intention not to further debate this issue 
tonight. That is my understanding; that is the chairman's intention as 
well. Quite obviously, we are waiting for our leaderships to get here 
because they want to get to that issue, and I know their interest is to 
get Members out in a timely fashion this evening. We are prepared to do 
that. I have discussed that with the chairman. They are not here at 
this point in time. I presume they will be here shortly.
  The CHAIRMAN. Under the unanimous-consent agreement we can proceed 
with debate until that time.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
Let me follow up on my previous statement.
  Mr. Chairman, we are going to have a number of people talk about this 
issue. The gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Smith] just talked. Mr. Smith 
and I are very close friends. We have a disagreement on this issue, and 
it is an issue on which he is a very, very sincere advocate, an able 
advocate, and deeply convicted advocate of his position. I think his 
position is a position that is intellectually and morally very 
defensible, period. I have no quarrel with him on that.
  I do, however, make the suggestion again that in this context the 
gentleman is placing Federal employees in a position that no other 
employees in America are placed in, and that is:
  ``If you work for General Motors, you get a health care plan, and you 
choose a policy if you have alternatives. Now, you happen to have, as a 
Federal employee, more alternatives than you have perhaps at General 
Motors. But the fact of the matter is that is perceived as your 
compensation package, your money, your selection of the insurance 
policies.''
  Mr. Chairman, this is not about the Federal Government, and Medicare, 
and Medicaid paying for an abortion. It is about giving to an employee 
compensation in the form of a health care contributions to the purchase 
of an insurance policy. That employee then applies to his or her 
choice.
  Now, just as we, the Federal Government, pays FICA, that is then mine 
or pays my salary. It is mine or pays my retirement. That is then 
vested. They cannot take it back from me. This is not their choice of 
where it goes. This health care benefit is theirs. It is Henry Hyde's. 
It is Steny Hoyer's. It is Jim Lightfoot's. It is whoever's. It is 
ours, and we then apply that looking through the list of what policy do 
I want to purchase? It is not the Federal Government making that choice 
for us. It is not the Federal Government buying that policy.
  Yes, it is Federal dollars. But as I said before my friends got to 
the floor, the dollars that we are paid in salary are Federal dollars. 
I ask, ``Are we to be then told that, look, those are Federal dollars, 
and you can't spend them except in a fashion with which we, the Federal 
Government, agree''? I asked that question rhetorically, but I am 
wondering if there is a response to it.
  Those dollars are the dollars of our employees, not ours, not our 
dollars, and that is, I respectfully suggest to my good friends, the 
significant difference between this and the issue of Medicaid, or 
Medicare, or some other program where the Federal Government actually 
pays for the services rendered.
  Now, I know the deep convictions are that anything that might further 
the objective is objectionable itself. I understand that. I think that 
is a fair argument, and I understand that position. It is a position 
with which I disagree, but not that I lack respect for.
  Mr. Chairman, I am hopeful that, as the debate develops tomorrow, 
that Members will have the opportunity to see the difference between 
this issue raised on this bill, and the issue raised in the Labor-
Health bill, and that difference will be seen as dollars of the 
employee as opposed to the dollars of the Federal Government.
  Yes, the source is the same, but the ownership is different. The 
ownership is significantly different.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Nevada [Mrs. Vucanovich].
  Mrs. VUCANOVICH. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the 
amendment offered by Mr. Hoyer. This amendment would strike the 
language in H.R. 2020 that would prohibit the use of funds to pay for 
abortion or to be used for administrative expenses in connection with 
any health plan under Federal employees health benefit program. This 
program provides coverage for abortion, except where the life of the 
mother would be endangered if the 

[[Page H 7148]]
fetus were carried to term. Currently, the American taxpayer bears the 
burden of providing almost 72 percent of the funds used to purchase 
health insurance for Federal Employees. That again raises the question: 
``Should the Federal Government be in the business of funding 
abortions?'' The answer is, of course, no.
  The Federal Government does not need to provide funding for abortion 
coverage in basic health coverage for Federal employees. Abortion is 
usually not considered part of basic health insurance coverage. Even 
the Nation's largest provider of individual and group health insurance 
Mutual of Omaha, specifically excludes all elective abortions from its 
coverage.
  Perhaps some here feel that abortion should be covered because it is 
simply another medical procedure, much like removing an unwanted tumor 
or wart. However, the Supreme Court of the United States has said that 
the Government can distinguish between abortion and ``other medical 
procedures'' because ``abortion is inherently different from other 
medical procedures. No other procedure involves the purposeful 
termination of a potential human life.''
  At a time when 70 percent of Americans oppose Federal funding of 
abortion it is appropriate for Congress to uphold the sanctity of life 
and limit Federal funding of abortion. I urge my colleagues to vote 
``no'' on the Hoyer amendment.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Farr].
  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the 
Hoyer amendment and in support of the basic right of women to choose, 
regardless of whether they work in the private sector or they serve in 
the Federal Government as public servants.
  We all are well aware of the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 
in Roe versus Wade that a woman's right to a safe and legal abortion is 
constitutionally guaranteed. This is the law of the land. The provision 
of the bill that my colleagues and I seek to strike would single out 
Federal employees and prohibit them from choosing a health care policy 
which provides a full range of reproductive health services including 
abortion.
  What you may not realize is that currently two-thirds of private fee-
for-service plans and 70 percent of health maintenance organizations 
provide abortion coverage. As most insurance plans today provide 
coverage for reproductive health care including abortion, to deny 
Federal health benefit participants this health service is harmful to 
women's health.
  Mr. Chairman, this is not a pro-choice or pro-life issue, it is an 
issue of discrimination. This provision blatantly discriminates against 
women who work for the Federal Government, singling them out and 
denying them the same access to safe reproductive health care that non-
Federal workers in State, local, and the private sector would receive.
  This is an issue of basic fairness and equity, Mr. Chairman. Fairness 
to our Nation's public servants who wake up every day and work to serve 
their country. These women deserve the same quality of care that non-
Federal employees have access to every day. These women pay into their 
health insurance plans, such as Blue Cross-Blue Shield or Atena just 
like women in the private sector. The difference would be that these 
women, unlike women in the private sector, would not receive coverage 
for abortion. Excluding abortion procedures is taking away part of the 
medical coverage that thousands of Americans currently have. Are we 
going to treat these hard-working women as second-class citizens 
because they are employed by the Federal Government? I hope not.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in standing up today in support of 
women's rights--in support of women's health--let's strike this 
blatantly discriminatory and harmful provision in the bill.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Maryland [Mr. Bartlett].
  (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong 
opposition to the amendment offered by my good friend and colleague 
from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer]. This is a very simple and straightforward 
issue. Should the taxpayers and people who are conscientiously opposed 
be forced to pay for and subsidize abortion on command?
  Mr. Chairman, the Congress and the Supreme Court have been very clear 
on this issue. This amendment flies in the face of the Hyde amendment 
which this Congress has, on several occasions, upheld which simply says 
that the Federal Government should not be in the practice of funding 
abortions with taxpayer money. In upholding the Hyde amendment, the 
court has said that, and I quote:

       Abortion is inherently different from other medical 
     procedures because no other procedure involves a purposeful 
     termination of a potential life.

  Let us not fund abortion on demand with taxpayer money. Let us not 
force those who are conscientiously opposed to pay for these abortions.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York [Mrs. Lowey].
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, currently, Federal employees, like other 
American workers, are permitted to choose a health care plan that 
covers the full range of reproductive health services. The new majority 
wants to change that and take American women backward. This is one of 
the first steps in the radical right's campaign to eliminate the right 
to choose.
  The issue before us today is whether or not this House will allow 
American women the freedom to choose a private health insurance plan 
that includes coverage of abortion.
  The Hoyer amendment is about giving American women options--of the 
345 FEHBP plans, just about half--178--currently cover abortion. If 
women want to participate in a plan that covers abortions they can. If 
they find abortion objectionable they can belong to a plan that doesn't 
cover abortion. The choice is theirs--not mine--and not this 
institution's.
  This is the status quo--and unless we approve Mr. Hoyer's amendment, 
this House will be taking away health care coverage that Federal 
employees currently have. There are 1.2 million women of reproductive 
age who rely on FEHBP for their medical care--1.2 million American 
women who would lose the right to choose if the Hoyer amendment isn't 
adopted.
  In fact, the provision that Mr. Hoyer seeks to strike is so extreme 
that it doesn't even allow FEHBP plans to cover abortions in the case 
of rape and incest.

                              {time}  1845

  So if you are a Federal employee and you have been raped and become 
pregnant, the new majority says that you cannot use your own private 
insurance to have an abortion. That is an outrage.
  Basic women's health care includes the full range of redprocutive 
health services, including abortion. We should not be singling this 
procedure out. I urge my colleagues to support the Hoyer amendment.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes, as we continue the 
tour of the East Coast, to the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. 
Morella].
  (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding time 
to me.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment by the gentleman 
from Maryland.
  From 1983 to 1993, Congress limited the coverage of abortion services 
under FEHBP, except in cases in which the life of the woman was at 
risk. In the fiscal year 1994 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill, we 
finally restored the coverage that had been provided to most of the 
rest of this country's work force through their health insurance plans. 
Today, this bill once again denies this health coverage to Federal 
employees.
  The coverage of abortion services in Federal health plans does not 
mean that abortions are being subsidized by the Federal Government. 
Currently, the Government simply contributes to the premiums of Federal 
employees in order to allow them to purchase private health insurance. 
Abortion services do not add to the cost of an insurance plan; the 
additional cost amounts to a few cents per month to cover the cost of 
administration.

[[Page H 7149]]

  The bill's provision is all the more inequitable because it does not 
even cover abortions in the case of rape and incest, coverage provided 
under the Medicaid program and the Hyde amendment. If the funding ban 
is reinstated, Federal employees will have to pay for abortions with 
their own money, even in the cases of rape and incest.
  Thousands of Federal employees have incomes below or close to the 
Federal poverty line. For these workers, the cost of an abortion would 
be a significant hardship, interfering with a woman's constitutionally 
protected right to choose. And it discriminates against Federal 
employees.
  Mr. Chairman, the Hoyer amendment simply restores the rights of 
Federal employees to the same health care services covered by most 
private sector health plans. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the Hoyer 
amendment. The Federal Government should not be in the business of 
funding abortions nor should taxpayers be forced to underwrite the cost 
of abortions for Federal employees.
  The Federal Government currently contributes approximately 72 percent 
of the money toward the purchase of health insurance for its employees. 
Thus, taxpayers do provide a majority share of the funds to purchase 
health insurance for the Federal civilian work force. If this amendment 
were adopted the American taxpayers would be forced to underwrite the 
costs of abortion for Federal employees. In addition to taxpayer funds 
paying for abortions, premiums contributed by conscientiously opposed 
Federal employees will also be used to subsidize abortion on demand.
  Abortion is not just another form of ``routine health care''. In 
upholding the Hyde amendment, the Supreme Court has said that the 
Government can distinguish between abortion and ``other medical 
procedures.'' The court said, ``Abortion is inherently different from 
other medical procedures, because no other procedure involves the 
purposeful termination of a potential life.''
  Mr. Chairman, the language that Mr. Lightfoot incorporated into this 
bill which would prohibit OPM from allowing Federal employee health 
insurance plans to cover abortion, except when the mother's life is at 
stake should remain a part of the Treasury, Postal Service 
appropriation bill as it has from 1984 through fiscal year 1993, and 
this amendment should be defeated.
  Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Hoyer 
amendment to strike the language that prohibits Federal employees from 
choosing health care plans that include abortion services.
  This is the latest in a series of assaults on a woman's right to 
choose. The consequence of this assault, like the others being pursued 
through the appropriations process, is to leave women's rights under 
Roe versus Wade hollow--and effectively repeal of those rights without 
directly reversing the Supreme Court's decision.
  Earlier this spring, the House passed a ban on privately funded 
abortions in military hospitals overseas. Then came the provision 
preventing international family planning organizations from using their 
own funds to provide abortions. Now the assault continues with a ban on 
abortion services for Federal employees.
  One ban after another--choice opponents are on their way to rolling 
back a woman's right to choose.
  This is a discriminatory change from current policy. Choice opponents 
in the Congress are now singling out Federal employees to restrict a 
constitutional right. This is not about Federal funding--employee's own 
salaries are being withheld. It is about infringing upon employees' 
rights to bargain for their own benefits.
  Congress has no place obstructing private insurance companies from 
offering services that are necessary to women's health. At least two-
thirds of private health insurance plans currently include coverage for 
abortions.
  Prohibiting Federal employees from choosing insurance plans that 
offer abortion services endangers their health. The question for our 
House colleagues is whether they can justify limiting Federal 
employees' constitutionally protected rights and limiting their health 
care options simply because these women receive benefits through the 
Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. I strongly believe we cannot.
  Today's vote is part of a larger agenda to rollback a woman's right 
to choose without directly reversing Roe versus Wade. This provision 
hurts Federal employees, and I urge my colleagues to vote for equal 
rights and health services for Federal employees and their dependents.
  Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the 
amendment offered by the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] which 
would strike the bill's provisions prohibiting the use of funds to pay 
for abortions under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program 
[FEHBP].
  The Republican majority seeks to return us to the nefarious policy 
adopted during the Reagan/Bush years where women enrolled in FEHBP were 
denied access to the full range of legal reproductive health options 
that are available to women enrolled in private sector health plans. 
Two years ago, that policy was rightfully put to an end by the Clinton 
administration which determined that the participating plans and 
enrollees should be free to make the choices concerning the 
availability and access to abortion coverage.
  Today, no participating health plan is forced to cover abortions, and 
no participating employee or annuitant is forced to join a plan that 
covers them. The Office of Personnel Management allows each plan decide 
on its own whether to provide abortion coverage. This year, only 178 of 
345 participating plans do. FEHBP participants have the option of 
choosing from among the wide variety of plans available the one which 
best meets their health care needs.
  Sections 524 and 525 of this bill will limit the reproductive choices 
available to women covered by FEHBP. I support their elimination and 
urge adoption of the Hoyer amendment.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to vacate the 
previous unanimous-consent agreement limiting debate on this amendment, 
that there be 80 minutes of debate on this amendment and all amendments 
thereto, and that the time be equally divided and controlled by myself 
and the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] tomorrow when the committee 
resumes its sitting on this bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Riggs) having assumed the chair, Mr. Dreier, chairman of the Committee 
of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported that that 
Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2020) making 
appropriations for the Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, 
the Executive Office of the President, and certain independent 
agencies, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and for other 
purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.

                          ____________________