[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1465-D1467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                        Thursday, December 14, 1995

[[Page D1465]]


                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate agreed to Interior and VA/HUD Appropriations Conference 
      Reports.
      Senate passed State Department Authorizations/Reorganization.
      House Committees ordered reported 21 sundry measures.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S18583-S18671
Measures Introduced: Three bills were introduced, as follows: S. 1478-
1480.
  Page S18662
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 650, to increase the amount of credit available to fuel local, 
regional, and national economic growth by reducing the regulatory 
burden imposed upon financial institutions, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 104-185)
  H.R. 2527, to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to 
improve the electoral process by permitting electronic filing and 
preservation of Federal Election Commission reports.
  H.J. Res. 69, providing for the reappointment of Homer Alfred Neal as 
a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian 
Institution.
  H.J. Res. 110, providing for the appointment of Howard H. Baker, Jr. 
as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian 
Institution.
  H.J. Res. 111, providing for the appointment of Anne D'Harnoncourt as 
a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian 
Institution.
  H.J. Res. 112, providing for the appointment of Louis Gerstner as a 
citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
  S. Con. Res. 34, to authorize the printing of ``Vice Presidents of 
the United States, 1789-1993'', with an amendment.
Page S18662
Measures Passed:
  Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act: Senate passed H.R. 
1747, to amend the Public Health Services Act to permanently extend and 
clarify malpractice coverage for health centers, clearing the measure 
for the President.
  Page S18668
  Commemorative Coin Act Amendment: Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2336, 
to amend the Doug Barnard, Jr.--1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games 
Commemorative Coin Act, and the bill was then passed, clearing the 
measure for the President.
  Pages S18668-69
  Possessions and Territories Criminal Law Clarification Act: Senate 
passed S. 1332, to clarify the application of certain Federal criminal 
laws to territories, possessions, and commonwealths, after agreeing to 
a committee amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  Page S18669
Interior Appropriations Conference Report: By 58 yeas to 40 nays (Vote 
No. 604), Senate agreed to the conference report on H.R. 1977, making 
appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1996.
  Pages S18595-S18616
State Department Authorizations/Reorganization: Committee on Foreign 
Relations was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1561, to 
consolidate the foreign affairs agencies of the United States; to 
authorize appropriations for the Department of State and related 
agencies for fiscal years 1996 and 1997; and to responsibly reduce the 
authorizations of appropriations for United States foreign assistance 
programs for fiscal years 1996 and 1997, and by 82 yeas to 16 nays 
(Vote No. 605), the bill was passed, after striking all after the 
enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the text of S. 908, 
Senate companion measure, after taking action on amendments proposed 
thereto, as follows:
  Pages S18616-37
Adopted:
  Helms/Kerry Amendment No. 3100, to authorize the transmittal of a 
reorganization plan or plans streamlining and consolidating the 
Department of 

[[Page D1466]]
State and the independent foreign affairs agencies, and to make 
technical amendments.
Pages S18635-36
Withdrawn:
  Dole Amendment No. 2025, to withhold certain funds for international 
conferences if funds were expended for U.S. participation in the United 
Nations Fourth World Conference on Women while Harry Wu was being 
detained in China.
Pages S18616-17
  Helms Amendment No. 2031, to authorize reduced levels of 
appropriations for foreign assistance programs for fiscal years 1996 
and 1997.
Pages S18616-17
  Kerry (for Boxer) Amendment No. 2032 (to Amendment No. 2025), to 
express the sense of the Senate regarding the arrest of Harry Wu by the 
Government of the People's Republic of China.
Pages S18616-17
  Helms Amendment No. 2041, to express the sense of the Congress 
regarding the consolidation and reinvention of the foreign affairs 
agencies of the United States.
Pages S18616-17
  Helms Amendment No. 2042 (to Amendment No. 2041, in the nature of a 
substitute.
Pages S18616-17
  Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House thereon and the Chair appointed the following conferees: Senators 
Helms, Snowe, Brown, Coverdell, Ashcroft, Pell, Kerry, Sarbanes, and 
Dodd.
Page S18639
  Subsequently, S. 908 was returned to the Senate calendar.

Page S18637
Cuban Liberty and Solidarity Act--Conferees: Senate insisted on its 
amendment to H.R. 927, to seek international sanctions against the 
Castro government in Cuba, and to plan for support of a transition 
government leading to a democratically elected government in Cuba, 
agreed to the request of the House for a conference thereon, and the 
Chair appointed the following conferees: Senators Helms, Coverdell, 
Thompson, Snowe, Pell, Dodd, and Robb.
  Page S18639
VA/HUD Appropriations--Conference Report: By 54 yeas to 44 nays (Vote 
No. 606), Senate agreed to the conference report on H.R. 2099, making 
appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and 
Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies, boards, 
commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 1996.
  Pages S18639-58
  Senate concurred in the amendment of the House to Senate amendment 
No. 63.
Page S18658
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  A. Peter Burleigh, of California, to be Ambassador to the Democratic 
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and to serve concurrently and without 
additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary 
of the United States of America to the Republic of Maldives.
  Sandra J. Kristoff, of Virginia, for the rank of Ambassador during 
her tenure of service as U.S. Coordinator for Asia Pacific Economic 
Cooperation (APEC).
  John Raymond Malott, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Malaysia.
  Kenneth Michael Quinn, of Iowa, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of 
Cambodia.
  William H. Itoh, of New Mexico, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of 
Thailand.
  Frances D. Cook, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Sultanate of 
Oman.
  J. Stapleton Roy, of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador to the Republic 
of Indonesia.
  Thomas W. Simons, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador 
to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
  Richard Henry Jones, of Nebraska, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Lebanon.
  James Franklin Collins, of Illinois, to be Ambassador at Large and 
Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent 
States.
  Charles H. Twining, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Cameroon.
  James A. Joseph, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
South Africa.
  Don Lee Gevirtz, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Fiji, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as 
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of 
America to the Republic of Nauru, Ambassador Extraordinary and 
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of 
Tonga, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United 
States of America to Tuvalu.
  Joan M. Plaisted, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
the Marshall Islands, and to serve concurrently and without additional 
compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the 
United States of America to the Republic of Kiribati.
  Jim Sasser, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic 
of China.
  David P. Rawson, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Mali.
  Gerald Wesley Scott, of Oklahoma, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
The Gambia
  Robert E. Gribbin III, of Alabama, to be Ambassador to the Republic 
of Rwanda.
  Charles H. Twining, of Maryland, a Career Member of the Senior 
Foreign Service, Class of Minister-

[[Page D1467]]
Counselor, to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as 
Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of 
Equatorial Guinea.
  29 Army nominations in the rank of general.
  2 Navy nominations in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Foreign Service, Navy.

Pages S18637-39, S18669-71
Messages From the House:
  Page S18661
Measures Placed on Calendar:
  Pages S18585, S18661
Communications:
  Pages S18661-62
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S18662
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S18662-64
Additional Cosponsors:
  Page S18664
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S18664-67
Authority for Committees:
  Page S18667
Additional Statements:
  Pages S18667-68
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total-606)

  Pages S18616, S18637, S18657-58
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:15 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., on Friday, December 15, 1995. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S18670.)