[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 209 (Wednesday, December 27, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E2455]]


IN SUPPORT OF S. 1508--LEGISLATION AIMED AT ENDING THE PARTIAL FEDERAL 
  GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BY ALLOWING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO RETURN TO WORK

                                 ______


                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 27, 1995

  Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the House companion 
bill to S. 1508--a bill that was approved by the Senate on December 22, 
1995, and that would allow all furloughed Federal employees to return 
to work. This bill enjoys widespread bipartisan support and would save 
millions of taxpayer dollars while giving Federal employees a legally 
binding claim to be paid.
  S. 1508 is a short bill that simply declares that all Federal 
employees be deemed to be performing services relating to emergencies 
involving the safety of human life or protection of property. This 
``emergency'' designation will last through February 1, 1996, and will 
temporarily circumvent the legal obstacles that require Federal 
agencies to classify employees as either ``excepted from the furlough'' 
or ``furloughed'' whenever there is a lapse in appropriations without 
temporary spending legislation enacted. This legislation will meet the 
demands of taxpayers who want Federal services to be available, as well 
as Federal employees and contractors who simply want to be able to 
perform the duties that Congress and the President have assigned them 
to perform.
  S. 1508 will reopen those national parks and museums that remain 
closed due to the President's veto of the Interior appropriations bill 
and will make it possible for thousands of Americans to obtain much-
needed passports and visas that are currently unavailable due to the 
President's veto of the State, Justice, and Commerce appropriations 
bill. Further, many contractors who have now endured a combined 18 
days--during the two shutdowns of 1995--without pay will be able to 
resume work because this legislation allows their contracts to be 
properly supervised and managed by Federal employees who have been 
furloughed. Finally, by allowing the remaining 280,000 furloughed 
workers to return to work, taxpayers can expect to receive the quality 
services that they pay for each April 15. Each day that we fail to end 
this shutdown costs the taxpayers an estimated $40 million in lost 
productivity and uncollected user fees and fines.
  Unfortunately, S. 1508 is only an incremental step toward achieving 
pay for the 760,000 Federal workers who currently work for agencies 
that do not have approved appropriations for fiscal year 1996. On 
December 20, the Speaker and majority leader pledged to 
retroactively pay all Federal employees once a balanced budget or 
continuing resolution is enacted. The measure I am introducing today 
will give Federal employees an enforceable legal claim to receive pay 
for services rendered. With the adoption of this measure, Federal 
workers should be in a stronger position to negotiate with creditors 
regarding any late payments that are necessitated by the Federal 
Government's failure to honor its payroll obligations in a timely 
manner. Further, S. 1508 will also move Congress and the President 
closer to a full agreement that would fund these agencies and pay for 
their employees and contractors.

  I am committed to working continuously with Members from both parties 
and with the President to bring an end to this unnecessary, but 
extremely costly, partial shutdown. The framework for an agreement that 
would have avoided this impasse was established on November 21, 1995, 
when the President signed his name to a continuing resolution that 
endorsed a Federal budget that balances in 7 years according to the 
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office economic forecasts. Today, more 
than 5 weeks later, the President has still not offered a budget plan 
that meets the criteria that he agreed to in November. His most recent 
budget plan was rejected by the House of Representatives by a unanimous 
and bipartisan 412-to-0 vote.
  While concerned taxpayers continue to wait for a good faith effort by 
the President to offer a balanced budget plan, Congress should act to 
provide relief to the innocent victims in this dispute--the 760,000 
Federal workers and thousands of additional contractors who remain 
unpaid. By returning furloughed civil servants to work, this bill takes 
an important step toward the eventual complete retroactive pay for 
affected Federal workers, and for the resumption of work for 
contractors and services for taxpayers. I urge my colleagues to support 
this bipartisan bill that has already been approved by the other body.

                          ____________________