[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 119 (Friday, July 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10445-S10449]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS, 1996

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now 
proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1817, which the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 1817) making appropriations for military 
     construction, family housing, and base realignment and 
     closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 1996, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill 
which had been reported from the Committee on Appropriations, with 
amendments, as follows:
  (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are shown in boldface 
brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are shown in 
italic.)
                               H.R. 1817

       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 fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 1996, for military construction, family 
     housing, and base realignment and closure functions 
     administered by the Department of Defense, and for other 
     purposes, namely:

                      Military Construction, Army
                        (including rescissions)
       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, military 
     installations, facilities, and real property for the Army as 
     currently authorized by law, including personnel in the Army 
     Corps of Engineers and other personal services necessary for 
     the purposes of this appropriation, and for construction and 
     operation of facilities in support of the functions of the 
     Commander in Chief, [$611,608,000] $496,664,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2000: Provided, That of this 
     amount, not to exceed [$50,778,000] $44,034,000 shall be 
     available for study, planning, design, architect and engineer 
     services, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary of 
     Defense determines that additional obligations are necessary 
     for such purposes and notifies the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of his 
     determination and the reasons therefor: Provided further, 
     That of the funds appropriated for ``Military Construction, 
     Army'' under Public Law 102-143, $6,245,000 is hereby 
     rescinded.
     
[[Page S10446]]


                      Military Construction, Navy

       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, naval installations, 
     facilities, and real property for the Navy as currently 
     authorized by law, including personnel in the Naval 
     Facilities Engineering Command and other personal services 
     necessary for the purposes of this appropriation, 
     [$588,243,000] $542,186,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2000: Provided, That of this amount, not to 
     exceed [$66,184,000] $49,477,000 shall be available for 
     study, planning, design, architect and engineer services, as 
     authorized by law, unless the Secretary of Defense determines 
     that additional obligations are necessary for such purposes 
     and notifies the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses 
     of Congress of his determination and the reasons therefor.
                    Military Construction, Air Force
                        (including rescissions)
       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, military 
     installations, facilities, and real property for the Air 
     Force as currently authorized by law, [$578,841,000] 
     $532,616,000, to remain available until September 30, 2000: 
     Provided, That of this amount, not to exceed [$49,021,000] 
     $23,894,000 shall be available for study, planning, design, 
     architect and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless 
     the Secretary of Defense determines that additional 
     obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of 
     his determination and the reasons therefor: Provided further, 
     That of the funds appropriated for ``Military Construction, 
     Air Force'' under Public Law 102-136, $2,765,000 is hereby 
     rescinded: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated 
     for ``Military Construction, Air Force'' under Public Law 
     102-368, $13,240,000 is hereby rescinded.

                  Military Construction, Defense-wide


             (including transfer of funds and rescissions)

       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, installations, 
     facilities, and real property for activities and agencies of 
     the Department of Defense (other than the military 
     departments), as currently authorized by law, [$728,332,000] 
     $818,078,000, to remain available until September 30, 2000: 
     Provided, That such amounts of this appropriation as may be 
     determined by the Secretary of Defense may be transferred to 
     such appropriations of the Department of Defense available 
     for military construction or family housing as he may 
     designate, to be merged with and to be available for the same 
     purposes, and for the same time period, as the appropriation 
     or fund to which transferred: Provided further, That of the 
     amount appropriated, not to exceed [$68,837,000] $83,992,000 
     shall be available for study, planning, design, architect and 
     engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary 
     of Defense determines that additional obligations are 
     necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of his 
     determination and the reasons therefor: Provided further, 
     That of the funds appropriated for ``Military Construction, 
     Defense-wide'' under Public Law 101-519, $3,234,000 is hereby 
     rescinded: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated 
     for ``Military Construction, Defense-wide'' under Public Law 
     102-136, $6,800,000 is hereby rescinded: Provided further, 
     That of the funds appropriated for ``Military Construction, 
     Defense-wide'' under Public Law 102-380, $8,590,000 is hereby 
     rescinded: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated 
     for ``Military Construction, Defense-wide'' under Public Law 
     103-110, $8,131,000 is hereby rescinded.
               Military Construction, Army National Guard
                        (including rescissions)
       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Army National Guard, and contributions 
     therefor, as authorized by chapter 133 of title 10, United 
     States Code, and military construction authorization Acts, 
     [$72,537,000] $93,121,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2000.

               Military Construction, Air National Guard

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Air National Guard, and contributions 
     therefor, as authorized by chapter 133 of title 10, United 
     States Code, and military construction authorization Acts, 
     [$118,267,000] $134,422,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2000: Provided, That of the funds appropriated 
     for ``Military Construction, Air National Guard'' under 
     Public Law 103-110, $6,700,000 is hereby rescinded.

                  Military Construction, Army Reserve

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Army Reserve as authorized by chapter 
     133 of title 10, United States Code, and military 
     construction authorization Acts, [$42,963,000] $48,141,000, 
     to remain available until September 30, 2000.

                  Military Construction, Naval Reserve

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the reserve components of the Navy and 
     Marine Corps as authorized by chapter 133 of title 10, United 
     States Code, and military construction authorization Acts, 
     [$19,655,000] $7,920,000, to remain available until September 
     30, 2000.

                Military Construction, Air Force Reserve

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Air Force Reserve as authorized by 
     chapter 133 of title 10, United States Code, and military 
     construction authorization Acts, [$31,502,000] $32,297,000, 
     to remain available until September 30, 2000.

                   North Atlantic Treaty Organization

                      Security Investment Program

       For the United States share of the cost of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program for 
     the acquisition and construction of military facilities and 
     installations (including international military headquarters) 
     and for related expenses for the collective defense of the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Area as authorized in military 
     construction authorization Acts and section 2806 of title 10, 
     United States Code, $161,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended.
                          Family Housing, Army

       For expenses of family housing for the Army for 
     construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition, 
     expansion, extension and alteration and for operation and 
     maintenance, including debt payment, leasing, minor 
     construction, principal and interest charges, and insurance 
     premiums, as authorized by law, as follows: for Construction, 
     [$126,400,000] $71,752,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2000; for Operation and maintenance, and for 
     debt payment, [$1,337,596,000] $1,339,196,000; in all 
     [$1,463,996,000] $1,410,948,000.

                 Family Housing, Navy and Marine Corps

       For expenses of family housing for the Navy and Marine 
     Corps for construction, including acquisition, replacement, 
     addition, expansion, extension and alteration and for 
     operation and maintenance, including debt payment, leasing, 
     minor construction, principal and interest charges, and 
     insurance premiums, as authorized by law, as follows: for 
     Construction, [$531,289,000] $504,467,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2000; for Operation and 
     maintenance, and for debt payment, [$1,048,329,000] 
     $1,051,929,000; in all [$1,579,618,000] $1,556,396,000.

                       Family Housing, Air Force

       For expenses of family housing for the Air Force for 
     construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition, 
     expansion, extension and alteration and for operation and 
     maintenance, including debt payment, leasing, minor 
     construction, principal and interest charges, and insurance 
     premiums, as authorized by law, as follows: for Construction, 
     [$294,503,000] $261,137,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2000; for Operation and maintenance, and for 
     debt payment, [$863,213,000] $850,059,000; in all 
     [$1,150,730,000] $1,111,196,000.

                      Family Housing, Defense-wide

       For expenses of family housing for the activities and 
     agencies of the Department of Defense (other than the 
     military departments) for construction, including 
     acquisition, replacement, addition, expansion, extension, and 
     alteration, and for operation and maintenance, leasing, and 
     minor construction, as authorized by law, as follows: for 
     Construction, $3,772,000, to remain available for obligation 
     until September 30, 2000; for Operation and maintenance, 
     [$30,467,000] $42,367,000; in all [$34,239,000] $46,139,000.

         Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement Fund


                     (Including Transfer of Funds)

       For the Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement 
     Fund, $22,000,000, to remain available until [expended] 
     September 30, 2000: Provided, That, subject to thirty days 
     prior notification to the Committees on Appropriations, such 
     additional amounts as may be determined by the Secretary of 
     Defense may be transferred to this Fund from amounts 
     appropriated in this Act for Construction in ``Family 
     Housing'' accounts, to be merged with and to be available for 
     the same purposes and for the same period of time as amounts 
     appropriated directly to that Fund: Provided further, That 
     appropriations made available to the Fund in this Act shall 
     be available to cover the costs, as defined in section 502(5) 
     of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of direct loans or 
     loan guarantees issued by the Department of Defense pursuant 
     to the provisions of, and amendments made by, the National 
     Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1996 pertaining to 
     alternative means of acquiring and improving military family 
     housing and supporting facilities.

                  Homeowners Assistance Fund, Defense

       For use in the Homeowners Assistance Fund established by 
     section 1013(d) of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan 
     Development Act of 1966, as amended (42 U.S.C. 3374), 
     $75,586,000, to remain available until expended.

                 Base Realignment and Closure Account,

                                Part II

       For deposit into the Department of Defense Base Closure 
     Account 1990 established by section 2906(a)(1) of the 
     Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1991 (Public Law 
     101-510), $964,843,000, to remain available until expended: 
     Provided, That not more than [$224,800,000] $325,800,000 of 
     the funds appropriated herein shall be available solely for 
     environmental restoration.
     
[[Page S10447]]


                 Base Realignment and Closure Account,

                                Part III

       For deposit into the Department of Defense Base Closure 
     Account 1990 established by section 2906(a)(1) of the 
     Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1991 (Public Law 
     101-510), $2,148,480,000, to remain available until expended: 
     Provided, That not more than [$232,300,000] $236,700,000 of 
     the funds appropriated herein shall be available solely for 
     environmental restoration.

                 Base Realignment and Closure Account,

                                Part IV

       For deposit into the Department of Defense Base Closure 
     Account 1990 established by section 2906(a)(1) of the 
     Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1991 (Public Law 
     101-510), $784,569,000, to remain available until expended: 
     Provided, That such funds will be available for construction 
     only to the extent detailed budget justification is 
     transmitted to the Committees on Appropriations: Provided 
     further, That such funds are available solely for the 
     approved 1995 base realignments and closures.
                           GENERAL PROVISIONS

       Sec. 101. None of the funds appropriated in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts shall be expended for 
     payments under a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee contract for work, 
     where cost estimates exceed $25,000, to be performed within 
     the United States, except Alaska, without the specific 
     approval in writing of the Secretary of Defense setting forth 
     the reasons therefor: Provided, That the foregoing shall not 
     apply in the case of contracts for environmental restoration 
     at an installation that is being closed or realigned where 
     payments are made from a Base Realignment and Closure 
     Account.
       Sec. 102. Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense 
     for construction shall be available for hire of passenger 
     motor vehicles.
       Sec. 103. Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense 
     for construction may be used for advances to the Federal 
     Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, for the 
     construction of access roads as authorized by section 210 of 
     title 23, United States Code, when projects authorized 
     therein are certified as important to the national defense by 
     the Secretary of Defense.
       Sec. 104. None of the funds appropriated in this Act may be 
     used to begin construction of new bases inside the 
     continental United States for which specific appropriations 
     have not been made.
       Sec. 105. No part of the funds provided in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts shall be used for purchase 
     of land or land easements in excess of 100 per centum of the 
     value as determined by the Army Corps of Engineers or the 
     Naval Facilities Engineering Command, except (a) where there 
     is a determination of value by a Federal court, or (b) 
     purchases negotiated by the Attorney General or his designee, 
     or (c) where the estimated value is less than $25,000, or (d) 
     as otherwise determined by the Secretary of Defense to be in 
     the public interest.
       Sec. 106. None of the funds appropriated in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts shall be used to (1) acquire 
     land, (2) provide for site preparation, or (3) install 
     utilities for any family housing, except housing for which 
     funds have been made available in annual Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts.
       Sec. 107. None of the funds appropriated in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts for minor construction may 
     be used to transfer or relocate any activity from one base or 
     installation to another, without prior notification to the 
     Committees on Appropriations.
       Sec. 108. No part of the funds appropriated in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts may be used for the 
     procurement of steel for any construction project or activity 
     for which American steel producers, fabricators, and 
     manufacturers have been denied the opportunity to compete for 
     such steel procurement.
       Sec. 109. None of the funds available to the Department of 
     Defense for military construction or family housing during 
     the current fiscal year may be used to pay real property 
     taxes in any foreign nation.
       Sec. 110. None of the funds appropriated in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts may be used to initiate a 
     new installation overseas without prior notification to the 
     Committees on Appropriations.
       Sec. 111. None of the funds appropriated in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts may be obligated for 
     architect and engineer contracts estimated by the Government 
     to exceed $500,000 for projects to be accomplished in Japan, 
     in any NATO member country, or [in] countries bordering the 
     Arabian Gulf, unless such contracts are awarded to United 
     States firms or United States firms in joint venture with 
     host nation firms.
       Sec. 112. None of the funds appropriated in Military 
     Construction Appropriations Acts for military construction in 
     the United States territories and possessions in the Pacific 
     and on Kwajalein Atoll, or in countries bordering the Arabian 
     Gulf, may be used to award any contract estimated by the 
     Government to exceed $1,000,000 to a foreign contractor: 
     Provided, That this section shall not be applicable to 
     contract awards for which the lowest responsive and 
     responsible bid of a United States contractor exceeds the 
     lowest responsive and responsible bid of a foreign contractor 
     by greater than 20 per centum.
       Sec. 113. The Secretary of Defense is to inform the 
     appropriate Committees of Congress, including the Committees 
     on Appropriations, of the plans and scope of any proposed 
     military exercise involving United States personnel thirty 
     days prior to its occurring, if amounts expended for 
     construction, either temporary or permanent, are anticipated 
     to exceed $100,000.
       Sec. 114. Not more than 20 per centum of the appropriations 
     in Military Construction Appropriations Acts which are 
     limited for obligation during the current fiscal year shall 
     be obligated during the last two months of the fiscal year.


                          (transfer of funds)

       Sec. 115. Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense 
     for construction in prior years shall be available for 
     construction authorized for each such military department by 
     the authorizations enacted into law during the current 
     session of Congress.
       Sec. 116. For military construction or family housing 
     projects that are being completed with funds otherwise 
     expired or lapsed for obligation, expired or lapsed funds may 
     be used to pay the cost of associated supervision, 
     inspection, overhead, engineering and design on those 
     projects and on subsequent claims, if any.
       Sec. 117. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any 
     funds appropriated to a military department or defense agency 
     for the construction of military projects may be obligated 
     for a military construction project or contract, or for any 
     portion of such a project or contract, at any time before the 
     end of the fourth fiscal year after the fiscal year for which 
     funds for such project were appropriated if the funds 
     obligated for such project (1) are obligated from funds 
     available for military construction projects, and (2) do not 
     exceed the amount appropriated for such project, plus any 
     amount by which the cost of such project is increased 
     pursuant to law.
                          (transfer of funds)

       Sec. 118. During the five-year period after appropriations 
     available to the Department of Defense for military 
     construction and family housing operation and maintenance and 
     construction have expired for obligation, upon a 
     determination that such appropriations will not be necessary 
     for the liquidation of obligations or for making authorized 
     adjustments to such appropriations for obligations incurred 
     during the period of availability of such appropriations, 
     unobligated balances of such appropriations may be 
     transferred into the appropriation ``Foreign Currency 
     Fluctuations, Construction, Defense'' to be merged with and 
     to be available for the same time period and for the same 
     purposes as the appropriation to which transferred.
       Sec. 119. The Secretary of Defense is to provide the 
     Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives with an annual report by February 15, 
     containing details of the specific actions proposed to be 
     taken by the Department of Defense during the current fiscal 
     year to encourage other member nations of the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization, Japan, Korea, and United States allies 
     [in] bordering the Arabian Gulf to assume a greater share of 
     the common defense burden of such nations and the United 
     States.


                          (transfer of funds)

       Sec. 120. During the current fiscal year, in addition to 
     any other transfer authority available to the Department of 
     Defense, proceeds deposited to the Department of Defense Base 
     Closure Account established by section 207(a)(1) of the 
     Defense Authorization Amendments and Base Closure and 
     Realignment Act (Public Law 100-526) pursuant to section 
     207(a)(2)(C) of such Act, may be transferred to the account 
     established by section 2906(a)(1) of the Department of 
     Defense Authorization Act, 1991, to be merged with, and to be 
     available for the same purposes and the same time period as 
     that account.
       [Sec. 121. 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. 122. (a) 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) 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.


                          [(transfer of funds)
       [Sec. 123. During the current fiscal year, in addition to 
     any other transfer authority available to the Department of 
     Defense, amounts may be transferred among the Fund 
     established by section 1013(d) of the Demonstration Cities 
     and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 3374); 
     the account established by section 2906(a)(1) of the 
     Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1991; and 
     appropriations available to the Department of Defense for the 
     Homeowners Assistance Program of the Department of Defense. 
     Any amounts so transferred shall be merged with and be 
     available for the same purposes and for the same time period 
     as the fund, account, or appropriation to which transferred.
       [Sec. 124. The Army shall use George Air Force Base as the 
     interim airhead for the 

[[Page S10448]]
     National Training Center at Fort Irwin until Barstow-Daggett reaches 
     Initial Operational Capability as the permanent airhead.
       [Sec. 125. (a) In order to ensure the continued protection 
     and enhancement of the open spaces of Fort Sheridan, the 
     Secretary of the Army shall convey to the Lake County Forest 
     Preserve District, Illinois (in this section referred to as 
     the ``District''), all right, title, and interest of the 
     United States to a parcel of surplus real property at Fort 
     Sheridan consisting of approximately 290 acres located north 
     of the southerly boundary line of the historic district at 
     the post, including improvements thereon.
       [(b) As consideration for the conveyance by the Secretary 
     of the Army of the parcel of real property under subsection 
     (a), the District shall provide maintenance and care to the 
     remaining Fort Sheridan cemetery, pursuant to an agreement to 
     be entered into between the District and the Secretary.
       [(c) The Secretary of the Army is also authorized to convey 
     the remaining surplus property at former Fort Sheridan to the 
     Fort Sheridan Joint Planning Committee, or its successor, for 
     an amount no less than the fair market value (as determined 
     by the Secretary of the Army) of the property to be conveyed.
       [(d) Description of Property.--The exact acreage and legal 
     description of the real property (including improvements 
     thereon) to be conveyed under subsections (a) and (c) shall 
     be determined by surveys satisfactory to the Secretary. The 
     cost of such surveys shall be borne by the Lake County Forest 
     Preserve District, and the Fort Sheridan Joint Planning 
     Committee, respectively.
       [(e) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may 
     require such additional terms and conditions in connection 
     with the conveyance under this section as the Secretary 
     considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United 
     States.]
       Sec. 125. None of the funds appropriated in this Act may be 
     transferred to or obligated from the Pentagon Reservation 
     Facility Renovation (Phase I), unless the Secretary of 
     Defense certifies that the total cost for the planning 
     design, construction and installation of equipment for the 
     renovation of the Pentagon Reservation will not exceed 
     $1,218,000,000.
       Sec. 126. In addition to amounts appropriated elsewhere in 
     this Act, $228,098,000 is hereby appropriated, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2000, to the following accounts 
     in the amounts specified:
       Military Construction, Army, 1996/2000, $20,000,000;
       Military Construction, Navy, 1996/2000, $10,400,000;
       Military Construction, Air Force, 1996/2000, $37,000,000;
       Military Construction, Defense-Wide, 1996/2000, 
     $10,000,000;
       Military Construction, Army National Guard, 1996/2000, 
     $63,236,000;
       Military Construction, Army Reserve, 1996/2000, 
     $35,282,000;
       Military Construction, Air National Guard, 1996/2000, 
     $34,550,000;
       Military Construction, Air Force Reserve, 1996/2000, 
     $3,150,000;
       Family Housing, Navy and Marine Corps, 1996/2000, 
     $8,480,000; and
       Family Housing, Air Force, 1996/2000, $6,000,000.
       This Act may be cited as the ``Military Construction 
     Appropriations Act, 1996''.
                         Privilege of the Floor

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Warren Johnson 
be given floor privileges during consideration of this legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Debbie Allen, a 
congressional fellow in my office, be extended floor privileges during 
the pendency of this action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am pleased to bring before the Senate the 
military construction appropriations bill and report for fiscal year 
1996.
  Mr. President, this bill was reported out of the full Appropriations 
Committee on Wednesday. The bill recommended by the full Committee on 
Appropriations is for $11.159 billion. This is $461 million over the 
budget request, $18 million under the House bill, and $2.424 billion 
over the level enacted last year. Compared to last year's enacted 
level, the budget proposed a $2 billion increase in the regular 
military construction program.
  Also, I am pleased to report to the Senate that the bill is within 
the committee's 602(b) budget allocation for both budget authority and 
outlays.
  Mr. President, it has not been easy putting this bill together. 
Earlier this year, the subcommittee received an allocation that 
provided for a $461 million increase to the budget request. However, 
$161 million of this amount provides for a transfer from the Defense 
appropriation to the military construction appropriation for the 
Pentagon renovation.
  This account was put into the Defense bill in 1993 in the form of a 
revolving fund. By putting it back into the military construction 
appropriation we will bring more visibility to the program. This 
transfer means our allocation is really $180 million under the House.
  The Committee on Appropriations in the House approved an 
appropriations bill that was $500 million over the budget request.
  Mr. President, this bill has some points I want to mention. The bill 
fully funds the base closure and realignment accounts. This include 
$784 million for this year's round of base closures. This has been an 
extremely difficult year for many States with regard to the brac 
process. We made sure that there would be no impediments to moving 
forward with the decisions that the President has approved. Mr. 
President, this account makes up 35 percent of our appropriation.
  However, I am extremely concerned with the growth of this program. 
The base closure program cannot replace a regular military construction 
program. Our military bases that will remain open will have investment 
requirements which must be met. But as the base closure program grows, 
it will continue to crowd out the regular military construction 
program.
  In addition, the subcommittee is asking the General Accounting Office 
to help us evaluate the future requests for the base closure accounts. 
If the Department is unable to get the cost of base closures under 
control, it has a responsibility to reorient other priorities in the 
Defense budget so adequate funding is available to pay for the routine 
military construction requirements of the active services and the Guard 
and Reserve.
  We supported the Secretary's initiative to provide more housing to 
our military members. This is part of the $4.2 billion included in this 
bill for family housing.
  We did not, however, support the Air Force's request to build new 
senior and general officer quarters. We will not support building new 
homes for generals
 when there are families of enlisted people on waiting lists for homes.

  We also addressed the shortfalls that continue to plague our Reserve 
component; $263 million was added for the Reserve component. In each 
case these funds are for quality of life or readiness.
  Mr. President, the administration has available to it the same 
information the subcommittee has. The administration knows that the 
construction backlog of the Army Guard, the Air Guard, the Army 
Reserve, the Navy Reserve, and the Air Force Reserve is billions of 
dollars and that backlog is growing, even as the force levels are being 
reduced.
  So against this construction requirement, the administration budgeted 
only $182 million for the entire Guard and Reserve component of the 
Department of Defense. We could not allow this to happen.
  We have only reduced the administration request of $179 million for 
the NATO Security Investment Program by 10 percent. We believe this is 
a responsible reduction considering the requirements that may be put 
upon NATO in the near future.
  Mr. President, before I close I want to thank the ranking minority 
member for his participation and his contributions to the subcommittee 
this year. I also want to thank Dick D'Amato of his staff as well and 
Warren Johnson and Jim Morhard on my staff. We would not have gotten 
here without their tireless work.
  Mr. President, at this time, I yield the floor to my friend from 
Nevada, the distinguished minority member.
  Mr. REID addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I fully support the recommendations in this 
bill that is now before the Senate. I compliment the chairman of the 
subcommittee, the distinguished Senator from Montana [Mr. Burns], for 
his excellent work and that of his staff.
  The chairman of the subcommittee and I have enjoyed an open and 
productive working relationship in bringing the recommendations in this 
bill to the Senate.
  As the chairman mentioned, this bill emphasizes quality of life, 
particularly in family housing in barracks for single 

[[Page S10449]]
soldiers. It funds the Secretary of Defense's initiative to get the 
private sector into the military housing market and help relieve some 
of the tremendous backlog of needs for both new and renovated housing, 
which averages over 30 years of age throughout the services. We have 
homes that people are living in that are over 50 years old in many 
installations throughout the United States.
  My colleagues might wonder why this bill is the only subcommittee 
mark above the level of a fiscal year 1995 freeze. The reason is that 
the very large amount was needed to fund the base closure and 
realignment accounts, as the chairman has already indicated, almost $4 
billion, or more than a third of the entire amount recommended in the 
bill. In spite of this, we met our 602(b) allocation.
  Without the need to fund the downsizing of the military through the 
BRAC process, the bill would be almost $2 billion below the freeze 
level. Otherwise, Mr. President, the bill is extremely frugal. Overseas 
construction has been reduced somewhat, as has NATO funding, which this 
Member believes should be the beginning of a down path to have the 
European Community bear a more fair share of their burden in NATO.
  I commend the chairman for taking the many requests from Senators to 
include projects in this bill. This is necessitated, in large part, 
because the Department of Defense has again, as it has in the past, 
refused to adequately fund the construction projects for the National 
Guard and Reserve, requiring the subcommittee to review many worthy 
projects suggested by Senators and the Guard and Reserves and to come 
up with a fair and equitable solution to the problem.
  I add, Mr. President, in time of crisis, we rely heavily on the Guard 
and Reserve. During the gulf war crisis, we called upon the Guard and 
Reserve to bear more than their share of the burden, especially based 
on how we have funded them in the past. It simply would be unfair to 
not give them some consideration simply because they have been ignored 
by the Pentagon.
  The administration requested only $182 million for the Guard and 
Reserve, compared to $574 million appropriated in fiscal year 1995. We 
are well below last year's level, recommending $452 million, which is a 
20-percent reduction. The subcommittee has used strict criteria for 
evaluating these projects suggested by Members, and a strong effort was 
made to take all Members' interest into consideration.
  While no Senator that I am aware of has been fully satisfied, I think 
the result is as fair and equitable as possible, given the significant 
budget constraints that we are working under.
  Mr. President, I believe that this is a good product, and I hope that 
the Senate will support it.
  I thank at this time the staff director, Jim Morhard and his 
assistant, Warren Johnson, for their work and cooperation with my 
staff, Dick D'Amato, a member of the Appropriations Committee assigned 
to me to work on this and other appropriations matters, and B.G. Wright 
also of the Appropriations Committee, Peter Arapis of my personal staff 
and a congressional fellow who has been working with me for the past 6 
months, Debbie Allen.
  Mrs. BOXER addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business not to exceed 20 minutes.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am wondering if the Senator could end her 
remarks about 25 till, because we have a Senator offering an amendment 
and we have limited time.
  Mrs. BOXER. Absolutely.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized until 9:35.

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