[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 118 (Thursday, July 20, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10419-S10420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1996

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. MACK. It is my understanding that there has been a request for a 
recorded vote. So I ask for the yeas and nays.
  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, before we go to that, I suggest the absence 
of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Amendment No. 1803

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendment, No. 1803, as 
amended, is agreed to.
  So the amendment (No. 1803), as amended, was agreed to.


         Amendment Nos. 1806, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, and 1832

  Mr. MACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending 
Specter amendment and the following five amendments, which I have sent 
to the desk on behalf of Senators Dole, Simon, Lieberman, Bingaman, and 
myself be considered agreed to, en bloc, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, en bloc.
  So the amendment (No. 1806) was agreed to.
  So the amendments (No. 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831 and 1832) were agreed 
to, as follows:
                           amendment no. 1828

  (Purpose: To retain the Capitol Guide Service and Special Services 
                                Office)

       On page 27 of the bill, strike all between lines 1-25, and 
     insert the following:

                         Capitol Guide Service

       For salaries and expenses of the Capitol Guide Service, 
     $1,628,000, to be disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate: 
     Provided, That none of these funds shall be used to employ 
     more than thirty-three individuals: Provided further, That 
     the Capitol Guide Board is authorized, during emergencies, to 
     employ not more than two additional individuals for not more 
     than one hundred twenty days each, and not more than ten 
     additional individuals for not more than six months each, for 
     the Capitol Guide Service.

                        Special Services Office

       For salaries and expenses of the Special Services Office, 
     $363,000, to be disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate.
                                                                    ____



                           amendment no. 1829

(Purpose: To repeal the prohibitions against political recommendations 
        relating to Federal employment, and for other purposes)

       At the appropriate place, insert the following new section:

     SEC.  . REPEAL OF PROHIBITIONS AGAINST POLITICAL 
                   RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT.

       (a) In General.--(1) Section 3303 of title 5, United States 
     Code, is repealed.
       (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--(1) The table of 
     sections for chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking out the item relating to section 3303.
       (2) Section 2302(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code, is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(2) solicit or consider any recommendation or statement, 
     oral or written, with respect to any individual who requests 
     or is under consideration for any personnel action unless 
     such recommendation or statement is based on the personal 
     knowledge or records of the person furnishing it and consists 
     of--
       ``(A) an evaluation of the work performance, ability, 
     aptitude, or general qualifications of such individual; or
       ``(B) an evaluation of the character, loyalty, or 
     suitability of such individual;''.
                                                                    ____

                           amendment no. 1830

       At the end of Sec. 308(b)(2) insert:
       (c) The amendments made by this section shall take effect 
     only if the Administrative Conference of the United States 
     ceases to exist prior to the completion and submission of the 
     study to the Board as required by Section 230 of the 
     Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1371).
                                                                    ____



                           amendment no. 1831

                 (Purpose: To add a general provision)

       At the end of the bill, add the following:
       Sec.   . (a) The head of each agency with responsibility 
     for the maintenance and operation of facilities funded under 
     this Act shall take all actions necessary to achieve during 
     fiscal year 1996 a 5-percent reduction in facilities energy 
     costs from fiscal year 1995 levels. The head of each such 
     agency shall transmit to the Treasury of the United States 
     the total amount of savings achieved under this subsection, 
     and the amount transmitted shall be used to reduce the 
     deficit.
       (b) The head of each agency described in subsection (a) 
     shall report to the Congress 

[[Page S10420]]
     not later than December 31, 1996, on the results of the actions taken 
     under subsection (a), together with any recommendations as to 
     how to further reduce energy costs and energy consumption in 
     the future. Each report shall specify the agency's total 
     facilities energy costs and shall identify the reductions 
     achieved and specify the actions that resulted in such 
     reductions.
                                                                    ____



                           amendment no. 1832

       On page 60, line 1, strike all through the period on line 
     17.

  Mr. MACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read a third time and the Senate proceed immediately to vote on the 
passage of the bill with no other intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill was read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, shall the bill pass?
  So the bill (H.R. 1854), as amended, was passed.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. MACK. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I will take this opportunity to 
congratulate the managers of the first appropriations bill to come to 
the floor, Senator Mack of Florida and Senator Murray of Washington 
State. We started them off here on the trail to sort of get a feel of 
the body in terms of acting on these appropriations measures. They have 
not only demonstrated the skill in putting the bill together in the 
committee framework, but certainly here managing on the floor.
  Mr. President, this is a very tough year for the Appropriations 
Committee. It is a tough year for all Members, but especially the 
Appropriations Committee, because in effect we are playing the 
implementer, the mortician, the executioner, and many other roles in 
terms of the budget resolution and all the other various forces that 
are forcing Members to face up to some of these fiscal problems.
  I hope that at an appropriate time we reconsider an action that would 
permit legislation on appropriations, because this type of legislation 
attracts all kinds of policy issues. It should not be on this bill or 
on any other appropriations bill. We must resist that effort on the 
floor and on the part of the committee. Since we found the test case, 
we will bring some more appropriations bills. But I want to thank these 
managers.
  I have one further point to make, and that is when I visited 
Antarctica and was introduced to the culture of penguins, and one of 
the things about the culture was that there are seals, giants seals 
under the ice. The penguins go along the edge of the ice looking into 
the water to see if there are any seals there, and they are not certain 
by their vision. So pretty soon they nudge one into the water, and if 
they swim away, there are no seals and the others jump in.
  So to speak, an analogy can be drawn here tonight. We have had the 
seal test and it has passed well. I congratulate my colleagues.
  Mr. MACK. Mr. President, I want to thank the chairman. At least, I 
think I want to thank the chairman for his remarks. I appreciate that 
and appreciate his assistance as we have begun this process.
  I also want to thank Keith Kennedy and Larry Harris for the work they 
have done to prepare us and the bill and to assist as we move forward. 
And again, to Senator Murray, it has been a pleasure working with the 
Senator through conference and completing the bill.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I, too, want to thank the appropriations 
chair, as well as the ranking member, Senator Byrd, who have been very 
helpful in this process, and in particular to thank the Senator from 
Florida, Senator Mack, for a job well done.
  We have not agreed on every part, but he has been wonderful to work 
with and I appreciate his willingness to step down and go through this 
with me. I thank him, and Jim English, who worked with me.
  I appreciate the opportunity to work with you on my first bill, 
Senator.

                          ____________________