[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H51-H52]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1996

  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I again offer a joint resolution (H.J. Res. 
153) making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1996, 
and for other purposes, and ask unanimous consent that it be considered 
as passed and that a motion to reconsider be laid on the table.
  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Walker). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New York?
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I will 
say to the gentleman from New York, I will not object, but I want to 
under my reservation say that my frustration over being held back from 
offering the no-budget/no-pay provision led me to object earlier.
  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DURBIN. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentleman from New York.
  Mr. WALSH. My good friend from Illinois objected to this, which would 
have stopped the District government from going back to work tomorrow. 
I hope he regrets that decision. Does the gentleman regret that 
decision?
  Mr. DURBIN. Let me say this to the gentleman from New York. I will 
not object because I will not allow myself----
  Mr. WALSH. Do the gentleman regret the decision that he made?
  Mr. DURBIN. Regular order, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Illinois controls the 
time under his reservation.
  Mr. DURBIN. I will not object because I will not descend to the level 
that you have inflicted on 280,000 other Federal workers across this 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I trust that no 
one at this point will object, and I withdraw my reservation of 
objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the joint resolution is as follows:

                              H.J. Res 153

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     following sums are hereby appropriated, out of the general 
     fund and enterprise funds of the District of Columbia for the 
     District of Columbia for the fiscal year 1996, and for other 
     purposes, namely:
       Sec. 101. (a) Such amounts as may be necessary under the 
     authority and conditions provided in the applicable 
     appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1995 for continuing 
     projects or activities including the costs of direct loans 
     and loan guarantees (not otherwise specifically provided for 
     in this title of this joint resolution) which were conducted 
     in the fiscal year 1995 and for which appropriations, funds, 
     or other authority would be available in the following 
     appropriations Act:
       The District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1996:

     Provided, That whenever the amount which would be made 
     available or the authority which would be granted in this Act 
     is greater than that which would be available or granted 
     under current operations, the pertinent project or activity 
     shall be continued at a rate for operations not exceeding the 
     current rate.
       (b) Whenever the amount which would be made available or 
     the authority which would be granted under the Act listed in 
     this section as passed by the House as of the date of 
     enactment of this joint resolution, is different from that 
     which would be available or granted under such Act as passed 
     by the Senate as of the date of enactment of this joint 
     resolution, the pertinent project or activity shall be 
     continued at a rate for operations not exceeding the current 
     rate or the rate permitted by the action of the House or the 
     Senate, whichever is lower, under the authority and 
     conditions provided in the applicable appropriations Act for 
     the fiscal year 1995: Provided, That where an item is not 
     included in either version or where an item is included in 
     only one version of the Act as passed by both Houses as of 
     the date of enactment of this joint resolution, the pertinent 
     project or activity shall not be continued except as provided 
     for in section 111 or 

[[Page H52]]
     112 under the appropriation, fund, or authority granted by the 
     applicable appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1995 and 
     under the authority and conditions provided in the applicable 
     appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1995.
       Sec. 102. Appropriations made by section 101 shall be 
     available to the extent and in the manner which would be 
     provided by the pertinent appropriations Act.
       Sec. 103. No appropriation or funds made available or 
     authority granted pursuant to section 101 shall be used to 
     initiate or resume any project or activity for which 
     appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available 
     during the fiscal year 1995.
       Sec. 104. No provision which is included in the 
     appropriations Act enumerated in section 101 but which was 
     not included in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal 
     year 1995 and which by its terms is applicable to more than 
     one appropriation, fund, or authority shall be applicable to 
     any appropriation, funds, or authority provided in this title 
     of this joint resolution.
       Sec. 105. Appropriations made and authority granted 
     pursuant to this title of this joint resolution shall cover 
     all obligations or expenditures incurred for any program, 
     project, or activity during the period for which funds or 
     authority for such project or activity are available under 
     this title of this joint resolution.
       Sec. 106. Unless otherwise provided for in this title of 
     this joint resolution or in the applicable appropriations 
     Act, appropriations and funds made available and authority 
     granted pursuant to this title of this joint resolution shall 
     be available until (a) enactment into law of an appropriation 
     for any project or activity provided for in this title of 
     this joint resolution, or (b) the enactment into law of the 
     applicable appropriations Act by both Houses without any 
     provision for such project or activity, or (c) January 25, 
     1996, whichever first occurs.
       Sec. 107. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title 
     of this joint resolution, except section 106, none of the 
     funds appropriated under this title of this joint resolution 
     shall be expended for any abortion except where the life of 
     the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to 
     term or where the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape 
     or incest.
       Sec. 108. Expenditures made pursuant to this title of this 
     joint resolution shall be charged to the applicable 
     appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a bill in 
     which such applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization 
     is contained is enacted into law.
       Sec. 109. No provision in the appropriations Act for the 
     fiscal year 1996 referred to in section 101 of this title of 
     this joint resolution that makes the availability of any 
     appropriation provided therein dependent upon the enactment 
     of additional authorizing or other legislation shall be 
     effective before the date set forth in section 106(c) of this 
     joint resolution.
       Sec. 110. Appropriations and funds made available by or 
     authority granted pursuant to this title of this joint 
     resolution may be used without regard to the time limitations 
     for submission and approval of apportionments set forth in 
     section 1513 of title 31, United States Code, but nothing 
     herein shall be construed to waive any other provision of law 
     governing the apportionment of funds.
       Sec. 111. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title 
     of this joint resolution, except section 106, whenever the 
     Act listed in section 101 as passed by both the House and 
     Senate as of the date of enactment of this joint resolution, 
     does not include funding for an ongoing project or activity 
     for which there is a budget request, or whenever the rate for 
     operations for an ongoing project or activity provided by 
     section 101 for which there is a budget request would result 
     in the project or activity being significantly reduced, the 
     pertinent project or activity may be continued under the 
     authority and conditions provided in the applicable 
     appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1995 by increasing the 
     rate for operations provided by section 101 to a rate for 
     operations not to exceed one that provides the minimal level 
     that would enable existing activities to continue. No new 
     contracts or grants shall be awarded in excess of an amount 
     that bears the same ratio to the rate for operations provided 
     by this section as the number of days covered by this 
     resolution bears to 366. For the purposes of this title of 
     this joint resolution the minimal level means a rate for 
     operations that is reduced from the current rate by 25 
     percent.
       Sec. 112. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title 
     of this joint resolution, except section 106, whenever the 
     rate for operations for any continuing project or activity 
     provided by section 101 or section 111 for which there is 
     budget request would result in a furlough of Government 
     employees, that rate for operations may be increased to the 
     minimum level that would enable the furlough to be avoided. 
     No new contracts or grants shall be awarded in excess of an 
     amount that bears the same ration to the rate for operations 
     provided by this section as the number of days covered by 
     this resolution bears to 366.
       Sec. 113. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title 
     of this joint resolution, except sections 106, 111, and 112, 
     for those programs that had high initial rates of operation 
     or complete distribution of funding at the beginning of the 
     fiscal year in fiscal year 1995 because of distributions of 
     funding to states, foreign countries, grantees, or others, 
     similar distributions of funds for fiscal year 1996 shall not 
     be made and no grants shall be awarded for such programs 
     funded by this title of this resolution that would impinge on 
     final funding prerogatives.
       Sec. 114. This title of this joint resolution shall be 
     implemented so that only the most limited funding action of 
     that permitted in this title of this resolution shall be 
     taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and 
     activities.
       Sec. 115. The provisions of section 132 of the District of 
     Columbia Appropriations Act, 1988, Public Law 100-202, shall 
     not apply for this title of this joint resolution.
       Sec. 116. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title 
     of this joint resolution, except section 106, none of the 
     funds appropriated under this title of this joint resolution 
     shall be used to implement or enforce any system or 
     registration of unmarried, cohabiting couples whether they 
     are homosexual, lesbian, heterosexual, including but not 
     limited to registration for the purpose of extending 
     employment, health, or governmental benefits to such couples 
     on the same basis that such benefits are extended to legally 
     married couples; nor shall any funds made available pursuant 
     to any provision of this title of this joint resolution 
     otherwise be used to implement or enforce D.C. Act 9-188, 
     signed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia on April 15, 
     1992.

  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, House Joint Resolution 153 extends title II 
of the current continuing resolution (H.J. Res. 136), which expires at 
midnight tonight, to January 25, 1996. It provides the District 
government with the authority necessary to continue providing municipal 
services using its locally raised revenues. This resolution does not 
provide any Federal funds.
  The exact same terms and conditions that were included in title two 
of the previous joint resolution (H.J. Res. 136) are included in House 
Joint Resolution 153. The joint resolution that I have just introduced 
simply extends the terms, conditions, and spending authority for a 3-
week period to January 25, 1996.
  Mr. Speaker, the regular appropriations bill for the District of 
Columbia government for fiscal year 1996 was passed by the House on 
November 2, 1995, and is presently in conference. The conference 
committee has had several meetings and we have made considerable 
progress. However, there are some issues that are requiring more time 
to resolve than we had anticipated.
  I have made this unanimous consent request and introduced this joint 
resolution because I believe it is essential that municipal services 
continue to be provided by the District government using their own 
local revenues. As I mentioned earlier, no Federal funds will be made 
available by this resolution.
  So the joint resolution was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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