[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 13, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1965-S1967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PRESERVE TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I strongly endorse the Hollings-
Daschle-Kerrey-Lieberman-Bingaman-Rockefeller-Kerry Amendment to H.R. 
3019 that was debated last night, and to praise Senator Hollings for 
offering this amendment that I cosponsored. This amendment would have 
restored funds for three key Department of Commerce programs: the 
Advanced Technology Program, National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration (NTIA) Telecommunications and Information 
Infrastructure Assistance Program, and Technology Administration as 
well as funding for Educational and Environmental Technologies. 
Restoring these funds is essential to making progress in generating 
more jobs for Americans, a better education system, protecting the 
environment, and maintaining our Nation's ability to compete and excel 
in research.
  As a nation, we have used the best mix of individual innovation and 
national cooperative efforts to develop the most advanced and most 
productive economy in the world. Cooperative government and industry 
investments have brought us computers, the Internet, new treatments for 
disease, a better environment, and the moon. And these investments have 
brought us new industries; high-quality, high-paying jobs; and an 
improved standard of living.
  But today, Americans understand that the ground underneath them is 
shifting--they have seen their work and workplaces transformed by new 
technologies and global competition. These changes and their 
consequences are as profound as the economic shifts that moved us from 
farms to factories more than a century ago. Now, as then, there is no 
way to reverse the tide. Now, as then, the fortunes of working people 
are uncertain as the landscape around them is remade.
  Working Americans have reason to be worried, reasons, even, to be 
angry. They are working harder than ever, but their jobs are less 
secure, their wages are stagnant, and their benefits and pensions are 
shrinking. All this when company profits and CEO salaries are rising.
  Parents are putting in more hours at the office. Precious time taken 
from Little League games and PTA meetings and family dinners. And the 
strain--on families, schools, neighborhoods, on what makes a civil 
society--is all too apparent.
  At the same time, Mr. President, ``Reaganomics'' can't seem to 
disappear for good, no matter how clear the evidence is from the 1980's 
that this is a dangerous course and bad economic policy. The Reagan 
manifesto might have been written for a Warren G. Harding campaign 
speech. Big tax breaks for top-income earners and corporations--a 
trickle from the top will grow jobs and wages. Drop safety standards 
and environmental safeguards--an invisible hand will protect workers 
and consumers. Push the disabled, elderly, and poor children off the 
wagon.
  In a trance, Congress cooperated in the eighties when Reagan told 
them to cut taxes on the rich and corporations. In the last decade tax 
rates for top-income brackets were lowered from 70 percent to 40 
percent. And, the share of the tax burden that corporations pay has 
been reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent over the last decade.
  The minimum wage was stunted. And, domestic spending was cut from 
nearly 5 percent of the Federal budget to about 3\1/2\ percent since 
1980.
  To what end? Some people benefitted--some a whole lot. Since 1980, 
more than $800 billion was added to household incomes--but 98 percent 
of that money went to the richest 20 percent. That means all the rest, 
80 percent of American households, shared just 2 percent of the gains. 
In fact, the average American family is now getting by on less than 
they had in 1980.
  For a fortunate handful of Americans, the transformation from an 
industrial to an information economy offers unlimited opportunity and 
fantastic profit. But for most, right now, this new economy demands 
more and offers less--it demands more education, more skills, more 
flexibility, more time; but offers less pay, less benefits, and less 
security. Working families are running faster and losing ground--a raw 
deal that undermines the crucial link between work and personal 
progress, and breeds the anger and cynicism that are poisoning our 
society and our political debate.
  I believe there are clear, common-sense, approaches that must be 
followed to enable all Americans to gain the fruits of our success.
  Our trade and monetary policies must work for working people. We need 
trade agreements based on only giving access when we get exactly that 
for our products. We have to say no to agreements that push our jobs 
across our borders. Let's live in the real world, and demand other 
countries to live up to environmental and labor standards they avoid to 
get the upper hand.
  The Fed should be as aggressive in promoting growth to benefit 
workers as they are with managing inflation to benefit bondholders.
  And we must have investments in education, training, infrastructure, 
and technology that produce dividends for working people here at home. 
Investments in people are every bit as important as investment in 
equipment. But unless that's better known and understood, human 
investments will keep shriveling through the budget cuts already being 
made. Behind the banner of a balanced budget, we are in danger of 
surrendering what really spreads opportunity in America--the chance to 
learn, to train, and to excel.
  Investments in science and technology are a key part of the solution. 
As the President's Council of Economic Advisors recently reported, 
investments in innovation have been responsible for almost one-half of 
the Nation's economic growth.
  This Nation has had a 50-year consensus on investments in science in 
technology. We have made these investments to expand the basic store of 
knowledge both because of our exploring, inquisitive nature and because 
we know the benefits are unpredictable. We have invested in biological 
research that improves our ability to feed our people and attack 
disease. And we have invested in new technologies in support of Federal 
missions, technologies that created new industries and jobs in 
aviation, electronics, software, and communications.
  But those very programs that are key to our technological progress 
are now under threat. If it had passed, our Hollings-Daschle-Kerry 
Amendment would have lessened that threat by restoring funds for 
technology programs that invest in new innovations with broad benefits 
for the Nation.
  Recently, we have realized that with fierce global competition, this 
Nation must invest in innovation to advance economic growth. We are 
investing in the Advanced Technology Program with bipartisan support.
  President Bush's science advisor, D. Allan Bromley, realized that we 
can support key technologies without intervening in the market's 
selection of winners and losers. The Advanced Technology Program was 
first funded

[[Page S1966]]

in 1991 under President George Bush. This program is important because 
it invests in precompetitive or generic technologies, in the neglected 
zone between pure research and product development. These technologies 
are essential to technological progress for several industries or 
companies and are too risky for individual companies to fund on their 
own. The ATP will help to develop new technologies and new industries 
before other countries do.
  We must keep investing in the Department of Commerce Technology 
Administration. This is the one office in the Federal Government that 
is dedicated to advancing national investments in technology in support 
of economic growth. TA works to develop policies and partnerships that 
assist industrial innovation. And the office is supporting cooperative 
technology ventures between United States and Israeli companies that 
will be a win-win effort for both nations. This commitment is 
especially crucial now, as Israel reels from a string of devastating 
terrorist attacks.
  We must keep investing in educational technologies, technologies that 
will improve classroom learning and increase our student's chance to 
excel and succeed.
  And we must invest in connecting schools, libraries, and hospitals to 
the world of the Internet. Funding grants from the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration [NTIA] 
Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program 
[TIIAP] will enable these institutions to develop new applications that 
will increase students skills, improve health care, and extend 
telephone service in rural areas. This is particularly important to my 
home State of West Virginia, a heavily rural State. A TIIAP grant to 
the State library system will give citizens of West Virginia access to 
information around the globe.
  We must keep investing in new, innovative environmental technologies, 
that will result in higher levels of environmental protection at lower 
costs for industry. These new technologies offer U.S. companies 
opportunities for increased exports and more jobs here at home.
  These programs are essential investments to our Nation's economic 
future. They mean new industries and high-quality, high-wage jobs. They 
mean an improved environment. They mean a better education and greater 
opportunities for students and workers.
  Our Nation must act--if we do not, our competitors are ready to take 
advantage. While we are considering cutting our investments in 
nondefense R&D by 30 percent by 2002, Japan is about to double its 
Government's investments.
  We cannot go back and we should not go back--old policies need to 
change to meet new needs. But we should hold on to what we learned in 
that earlier era, and carry those lessons into the 1990's and the 21st 
century. Lessons of hard work and fair play, of balance between 
business and worker, of investment in people and technology should 
guide us as we meet the challenges of today and the future.
  With the continued leadership of Senator Hollings for America's 
economic strength and jobs, I will persist as well in pressing the case 
for the investments that our amendment attempted to rescue. We will not 
give up, because jobs for our people and the American dream are at 
stake.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. McCAIN). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                      unanimous-consent agreement

  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
following amendments be the only remaining first-degree amendments in 
order to H.R. 3019, that they be subject to relevant second-degrees, 
and following the disposition of the amendments, the Senate proceed to 
vote on the Hatfield substitute, as amended, the bill then be read for 
the third time, and the Senate proceed to final passage of H.R. 3019, 
all without any intervening action or debate.
  The list of amendments follows:

                         Republican Amendments

       Jeffords--Technical to D.C. provisions.
       Jeffords--Technical to D.C. provisions.
       Jeffords--Relevant.
       Faircloth--Bosnia funding.
       Burns--Relevant.
       Burns--Relevant.
       Burns--Relevant.
       Helms--International Family Planning/Abortion.
       Helms--N.C. Hospital.
       Helms--Waiver of authority.
       Helms--Abortion.
       Helms--Relevant.
       Helms--Relevant.
       Coverdell--Relevant.
       Brown--Relevant.
       Brown--Relevant.
       Coats--Abortion accreditation.
       McConnell--Mexico City policy.
       Gramm--Emergency provisions.
       Gramm--Housing.
       Gramm--State Welfare Program.
       Gramm--Contingency provisions.
       Gramm--Legal Services.
       Gramm--Community assistance.
       Santorum--Emergency provisions.
       Santorum--Offset disaster assistance.
       Santorum--Offset disaster assistance/conferees.
       Santorum--Funding cut in title I.
       Santorum--Salary/expense cut in title I.
       Hatch--Drug czar.
       Craig--Legal Services Corp.
       Shelby--Drug czar.
       Hatfield--Relevant.
       Hatfield--Relevant.
       Hatfield--Amalgamated millsite.
       Lott--Relevant.
       Lott--Relevant.
       Lott--Relevant.
       Murkowski--Canned salmon.
       Murkowski--Salmon.
       Murkowski--Greens Creek.
       Murkowski--Study.
       Cohen--Legal Services.
       Stevens--Relevant.
       Stevens--Relevant.
       Stevens--Sematech.
       Stevens--R&D camera.
       Stevens--Interior floods.
       Gorton--Medical Center--VA.
       Gorton--Administrative accounts adjustment.
       Gorton--Relevant.
       Kempthorne--Interior floods.
       Grams--Lockbox.
       McConnell--FBI.
       Bond--Relevant.
       Bond--Relevant.
       Bond--Relevant.
       Bond--Relevant.
       Bond--Relevant.
       Cochran--Relevant.
       Dole--Relevant.
       Dole--Relevant.
       Cohen--DOD.
       Chafee--Relevant.
       McCain--(3)/Relevant.
       Warner--Relevant.

                         Democratic amendments

       Boxer--D.C. abortion funds.
       Bradley--Relevant.
       Bumpers--Legal Services.
       Byrd:
       (1) Relevant.
       (2) Relevant.
       (3) Relevant.
       (4) Relevant.
       (5) Relevant.
       (6) Relevant.
       Daschle:
       (1) Inhalants.
       (2) Crop insurance.
       (3) Watertown SD.
       (4) Relevant.
       (5) Relevant.
       (6) Relevant.
       (7) Relevant.
       (8) Relevant.
       Dorgan--Defense (with/Conrad).
       Harkin--Health care.
       Kennedy--Drug exports.
       Lautenberg:
       (1) Environment.
       (2) Environment.
       (3) Relevant.
       Mikulski--National service.
       Murray--Timber sales.
       Pryor--Drugs.
       Ried--Relevant.
       Simon:
       (1) Literacy/longer schoolyear.
       (2) National Secondary Education Program.
       (3) Relevant.
       Wellstone:
       (1) SoS Liheap.
       (2) Relevant.
       Levin--Relevant.
       Leahy--Relevant.
       Johnston--Water Resources Den. Act.
       Breaux--Relevant.
       Lautenberg--FAA employee rights.
       Baucus--Relevant.
       Biden--Relevant.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the request?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
turn to the consideration, at 9:30, Thursday, of the Murray timber 
salvage amendment, and there be 2\1/2\ hours of debate, equally divided 
between Senators Murray and Hatfield, or his designee; further, that no 
second-degree amendments be in order to

[[Page S1967]]

the amendment, and at the expiration or yielding back of debate time, 
the Senate proceed to a vote on or in relation to the Murray amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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