[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 7, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1083-S1084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. SIMPSON (for himself and Mr. Rockefeller) (by request):
  S. 1563. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to revise and 
improve eligibility for medical care and services under that title, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.


                       va health care legislation

 Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. President, I am most pleased to join with the 
distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs in 
introducing, by request, legislation intended to reform the operation 
of VA's health care program. This legislation places into statutory 
language the eligibility reform proposal of the many veterans' service 
organizations who each year prepare and submit to the Congress the so 
called independent budget.
  The successful operation of the VA health care system has become one 
of the most pressing issues faced by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
and the Congress. Many observers feel that changing the current 
priorities for health care is the certain key to resolving the problems 
faced by both VA and the veterans it serves. The proposal we introduce 
today is one of at least five different proposals before the Congress 
and introduction of this legislation should be viewed as neither 
endorsement nor opposition to this specific proposal. I join in 
introduction of the legislation in order to put before the Congress 
both the proposal and the ideas upon which it is based. I plan to chair 
committee hearings on the issue later this spring. Both the committee's 
hearings and legislative process will be much improved if we can view 
this proposal in legislative format.
  As a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, one of the 
organizations that has prepared the proposal, I understand how 
important this issue is to America's veterans, the Congress, to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and to the American people who must 
fund whatever decision is reached by the Congress.
  I thank my fine personal friend from West Virginia for the 
constructive and active role that he played as chairman of the 
Veterans' Committee and continues to play as ranking minority member. 
He has been most helpful and courteous to me. I always look forward to 
working with him and the members of the committee as we work together 
to address the difficult questions we face concerning veterans' health 
care and the future structure of the Veterans Health 
Administration.
 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, as the ranking Democrat on the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am delighted to join today with the 
chairman of the committee, Senator Simpson, in introducing legislation 
that would reform eligibility for VA health care. We are doing so at 
the request of the four veterans service organizations--AMVETS, 
Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans 
of Foreign Wars--that develop the so-called independent budget [IB].
  While it was my policy, as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs, to introduce legislation proposed by the administration so 
that my colleagues and others with an interest would have specific 
bills to which they might direct their attention and comments, I have 
not done that for entities other than the administration. Senator 
Simpson has followed a similar policy in his two terms as the 
committee's chairman. However, in this instance, we have agreed to 
introduce this legislation so that it might be before the committee 
later in this session when we take up the issue of the reform of the 
current eligibility criteria for VA health care.
  In introducing administration-requested legislation, we always 
reserved the right to support the provisions of, as well as any 
amendment to, such by-request legislation. Obviously, that same policy 
applies to the bill we are introducing today.
  While I have been working with representatives of the IB group for 
many months in an effort to translate the group's narrative description 
of proposed eligibility reform into legislative language, I have done 
so without in any way endorsing the result. I intend to wait to support 
any specific eligibility reform legislation until after the committee 
has held hearings and the many issues connected with this subject have 
been explored in some depth and detail.
                                 ______

      By Mr. CRAIG:
  S. 1564. A bill to amend the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956 
to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide loan guarantees 
for water supply, conservation, quality and transmission projects, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  S. 1565. A bill to supplement the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 
1956 and to supplement the Federal Reclamation laws by providing for 
Federal cooperation in non-Federal projects and for participation by 
non-Federal 

[[Page S1084]]
agencies in Federal projects; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.


     small reclamation projects act of 1956 amendments legislation

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I introduce two measures to expand 
the use and availability of the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956.
  The Small Reclamation Projects Act has provided important benefits 
throughout the reclamation West in the 40 years since it was first 
established. Over the past several years, there have been various 
discussions of ways to expand the benefits of the program. These two 
measures incorporate some of the suggestions that have been made. I 
want to emphasize that neither of the measures would affect ongoing 
projects.
  One of the measures deals with financing. At the present time, the 
Secretary is limited to using grants or loans in fulfilling the 
objectives of the act. This legislation would expand that authority to 
include the use of loan guarantees as a way of stretching the limited 
Federal resources. There has been some discussion among those 
suggesting this approach that the committee should consider expanding 
the program under the guarantees outside the 17 reclamation States to 
other States and the territories. While I do not dispute that the 
advantages of the program could be useful in the territories and other 
States, I do not want to dilute the program so that is not able to meet 
the very real needs in the arid West. Therefore, I have not included 
such an expansion in this legislation. I do agree that it is a subject 
worth discussing and it should be one of the subjects of our hearings.
  The other measure is essentially a rewrite of the existing statute to 
expand the purposes for which assistance can be received from the 
Federal Government. Irrigation remains an authorized purpose, but it 
would no longer be a required component. The purposes would not include 
the augmentation and management of local water supplies, conservation 
of water and energy, fish and wildlife conservation, supplemental water 
for existing supplies, water quality improvements, and flood control. 
There had been some discussion about the application of interest on any 
allocable irrigation component, and I would support discussing this in 
any hearings. For the moment, however, I have limited the application 
of interest on any loans to those features which are currently 
reimbursable with interest under reclamation law.
  I also believe that we should explore in our hearings exactly how to 
deal with investments that further particular Federal objectives, such 
as fish and wildlife enhancement or other features that are normally 
nonreimbursable.
  Mr. President, neither of these measures should be viewed as a final 
product, and they are not mutually exclusive. Given the timing, I 
thought it would be useful to have both measures introduced so that 
they could be reviewed by the States and water users as well as by the 
administration and other interested parties with sufficient time to 
permit Congress to consider the concepts this session. While I am not 
prepared to announce a schedule of hearings at this time, I do want to 
indicate to my colleagues that I do intend to have the Subcommittee on 
Forests and Public Land Management of the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources conduct hearings early this year.
                                 ______

      By Mr. HOLLINGS:
  S. 1566. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue 
a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for 
employment in the coastwise trade for the vessel Marsh Grass Too; to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


                     trading privileges legislation

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I am introducing a bill today to direct 
that the vessel Marsh Grass Too, hull identification number 
AUKEV51139K690, be accorded coastwise trading privileges and be issued 
a certificate of documentation under section 12103 of title 46, U.S. 
Code.
  The Marsh Grass Too was recently constructed in Australia and is a 
catamaran intended for use as a recreational vessel. The vessel is 28 
feet in length, capable of accommodating 12 people, and is self-
propelled.
  The vessel is owned by Marsha Hass of South Carolina. Ms. Hass would 
like to utilize her vessel in the coastwise trade and fisheries of the 
United States. However, because the vessel was built in a foreign 
shipyard, it does not meet the requirements for coastwise license 
endorsement in the United States. The Marsh Grass Too is a catamaran, a 
vessel U.S. shipbuilders do not normally build. This particular vessel 
is built of kevlar, a product of DuPont, and would be imported into the 
United States as a bare hull. All motors, electronics, and accessories 
will be purchased and installed in the United States. Coastwise 
documentation is mandatory to enable the owner to use the vessel for 
its intended purpose.
  The owner of the Marsh Grass Too is seeking a waiver of the existing 
law because she wishes to use the vessel for recreational charters. Her 
desired intentions for the vessel's use will not adversely affect the 
coastwise trade in U.S. waters. If she is granted this waiver, it is 
her intention to comply fully with U.S. documentation and safety 
requirements. The purpose of the legislation I am introducing is to 
allow the Marsh Grass Too to engage in the coastwise trade and the 
fisheries of the United States.

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