[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D224-D226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                            Tuesday, March 19, 1996

[[Page D224]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed Continuing Appropriations, 1996, and Small Business 
      Regulatory Reform.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S2261-S2340
Measures Introduced: Three bills were introduced, as follows: S. 1624-
1626.
  Page S2327
Measures Passed:
  Greens Creek Land Exchange: Senate passed H.R. 1266, to provide for 
the exchange of lands within Admiralty Island National Monument, 
clearing the bill for the President.
  Page S2267
  Saccharin Notice Requirement: Committee on Labor and Human Resources 
was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1787, to amend the 
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to repeal the saccharin notice 
requirement, and the bill was then passed, clearing the bill for the 
President.
  Pages S2267-68
  Continuing Appropriations: By 79 yeas to 21 nays (Vote No. 42), 
Senate passed H.R. 3019, making appropriations for fiscal year 1996 to 
make a further downpayment toward a balanced budget, after taking 
action on amendments proposed thereto, as follows: 
                                     Pages S2261-S2300, S2302-09, S2340
Adopted:
  (1) Hatfield Modified Amendment No. 3466, in the nature of a 
substitute.
Pages S2261-S2300, S2302-09, S2340
  (2) Lautenberg Amendment No. 3482 (to Amendment No. 3466), to provide 
funding for programs necessary to maintain essential environmental 
protection.
Page S2279
  (3) By 81 yeas to 19 nays (Vote No. 37), Bond/Mikulski Amendment No. 
3533 (to Amendment No. 3482), to increase appropriations for EPA water 
infrastructure financing, Superfund toxic waste site cleanups, 
operating programs, and to increase funding for the Corporation for 
National and Community Service (AmeriCorps).
Pages S2277-78
  (4) By 63 yeas to 37 nays (Vote No. 39), Coats Modified Amendment No. 
3513 (to Amendment No. 3466), to amend the Public Health Service Act to 
prohibit governmental discrimination in the training and licensing of 
health professionals on the basis of the refusal to undergo or provide 
training in the performance of induced abortions. 
                                        Pages S2262-66, S2268-76, S2280
  (5) Simon Modified Amendment No. 3511 (to Amendment No. 3466), to 
provide funding to carry out title VI of the National Literary Act of 
1991, title VI of the Library Services and Construction Act, and 
section 109 of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973.
Page S2280
  (6) By 77 yeas to 23 nays (Vote No. 41), Wellstone Amendment No. 3520 
(to Amendment No. 3466), to urge the President to release already-
appropriated fiscal year 1996 emergency funding for home heating and 
other energy assistance, and to express the sense of the Senate on 
advance-appropriated funding for FY 1997.
Pages S2281-83
  (7) Murkowski/Stevens Modified Amendment No. 3524 (to Amendment No. 
3466), to reconcile seafood inspection requirements for agricultural 
commodity programs with those in use for general public consumers. 
                                                         Pages S2283-84
  (8) Murkowski Amendment No. 3525 (to Amendment No. 3466), to provide 
for the approval of an exchange of lands within Admiralty Island 
National Monument.
Pages S2276-77, S2284
  (9) Warner (for Thurmond) Modified Amendment No. 3526 (to Amendment 
No. 3466), to delay the exercise of authority to enter into multiyear 
procurement contracts for C-17 aircraft.
Page S2284
  (10) Hatfield Amendment No. 3553 (to Amendment No. 3466), to include 
funds for certain further programs and improve the bill. 
                                     Pages S2285-S2300, S2302-03, S2340
Rejected:
  (1) By 45 yeas to 55 nays (Vote No. 38), Boxer/Murray Amendment No. 
3508 (to Amendment No.

[[Page D225]]

3466), to permit the District of Columbia to use local funds for 
certain activities.
Pages S2266-70, S2279
  (2) By 33 yeas to 67 nays (Vote No. 40), Gramm Amendment No. 3519 (to 
Amendment No. 3466), to make the availability of obligations and 
expenditures contingent upon the enactment of a subsequent act 
incorporating an agreement between the President and Congress relative 
to Federal expenditures.
Pages S2280-81
  (3) McCain Amendment No. 3554 (to Amendment No. 3553), to provide 
that funds available for a grant for the construction of wastewater 
treatment facilities may be expended.
Pages S2302-03
Withdrawn:
  Gorton Amendment No. 3496 (to Amendment No. 3466), to designate the 
``Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center'', located in Walla 
Walla, Washington.
Pages S2279-80
  Santorum Amendment No. 3484 (to Amendment No. 3466), expressing the 
sense of the Senate regarding the budget treatment of Federal disaster 
assistance.
Page S2279
  Santorum Amendment No. 3485 (to Amendment No. 3466), expressing the 
sense of the Senate regarding the budget treatment of Federal disaster 
assistance.
Page S2262
  Santorum Amendment No. 3486 (to Amendment No. 3466), to require that 
disaster relief provided under this Act be funded through amounts 
previously made available to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
to be reimbursed through regular annual appropriations Acts. 
                                                             Page S2262
  Santorum Amendment No. 3487 (to Amendment No. 3466), to reduce all 
Title I discretionary spending by the appropriate percentage (.367%) to 
offset Federal disaster assistance.
Page S2262
  Santorum Amendment No. 3488 (to Amendment No. 3466), to reduce all 
Title I ``Salary and Expense'' and ``Administrative Expense'' accounts 
by the appropriate percentage (3.5%) to offset Federal disaster 
assistance.
Page S2279
  Bond (for Pressler) Amendment No. 3514 (to Amendment No. 3466), to 
provide funding for a Radar Satellite project at NASA.
Page S2279
  Bond Amendment No. 3515 (to Amendment No. 3466), to clarify rent 
setting requirements of law regarding housing assisted under section 
236 of the National Housing Act to limit rents charged moderate income 
families to that charged for comparable, non-assisted housing, and 
clarify permissible uses of rental income in such projects, in excess 
of operating costs and debt service.
Page S2279
  Bond Amendment No. 3516 (to Amendment No. 3466), to increase in 
amount available under the HUD Drug Elimination Grant Program for drug 
elimination activities in and around federally-assisted low-income 
housing developments by $30 million, to be derived from carry-over HOPE 
program balances.
Page S2279
  Bond Amendment No. 3517 (to Amendment No. 3466), to establish a 
special fund dedicated to enable the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development to meet crucial milestones in restructuring its 
administrative organization and more effectively address housing and 
community development needs of States and local units of government and 
to clarify and reaffirm provisions of current law with respect to the 
disbursement of HOME and CDBG funds allocated to the State of New York.
                                                             Page S2279
  Bond (for McCain) Modified Amendment No. 3521 (to Amendment No. 
3466), to require that disaster funds made available to certain 
agencies be allocated in accordance with the established prioritization 
processes of the agencies.
Pages S2275-76, S2284
  Bond (for McCain) Amendment No. 3522 (to Amendment No. 3466), to 
require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a plan for the 
allocation of health care resources of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs.
Page S2284
  Warner Amendment No. 3523 (to Amendment No. 3466), to prohibit the 
District of Columbia from enforcing any rule or ordinance that would 
terminate taxicab service reciprocity agreements with the States of 
Virginia and Maryland.
Pages S2279, S2303
  Burns Amendment No. 3528 (to Amendment No. 3466), to allow the 
refurbishment and continued operation of a small hydroelectric facility 
in central Montana by adjusting the amount of charges to be paid to the 
United States under the Federal Power Act.
Page S2284
  Coats (for Dole/Lieberman) Amendment No. 3531 (to Amendment No. 
3466), to provide for low-income scholarships in the District of 
Columbia.
Page S2279
  Also, the following amendments fell when an appeal of the ruling of 
the chair that Amendment No. 3551, listed below, was not relevant to 
Amendment No. 3466 was withdrawn:
  Hatfield (for Burns) Amendment No. 3551 (to Amendment No. 3466), to 
divide the ninth judicial circuit of the United States into two 
circuits.
Page S2262
  Burns Amendment No. 3552 (to Amendment No. 3551), to establish a 
Commission on restructuring the circuits of the United States Courts of 
Appeals.
Page S2262
  Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair appointed the following conferees: 
Senators Hatfield, Stevens, Cochran, Specter, Domenici, Bond, Gorton,

[[Page D226]]

McConnell, Mack, Burns, Shelby, Jeffords, Gregg, Bennett, Campbell, 
Byrd, Inouye, Hollings, Johnston, Leahy, Bumpers, Lautenberg, Harkin, 
Mikulski, Reid, Kerrey, Kohl, and Murray.
Page S2309
   Small Business Regulatory Reform: By a unanimous vote of 100 yeas 
(Vote No. 43), Senate passed S. 942, to promote increased understanding 
of Federal regulations and increased voluntary compliance with such 
regulations by small entities, to provide for the designation of 
regional ombudsmen and oversight boards to monitor the enforcement 
practices of certain Federal agencies with respect to small business 
concerns, and to provide relief from excessive and arbitrary regulatory 
enforcement actions against small entities.
  Pages S2309-21
Whitewater Investigation Extension--Cloture Vote Agreement: A 
unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for a vote on a 
fourth cloture motion to close further debate on the motion to proceed 
to the consideration of S. Res. 227, to authorize the use of additional 
funds for salaries and expenses of the Special Committee to Investigate 
Whitewater Development Corporation and Related Matters, on Wednesday, 
March 20, 1996.
  Page S2340
Product Liability Conference Report--Cloture Vote/Consideration 
Agreement:  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for a 
vote on the conference report on H.R. 956, to establish legal standards 
and procedures for product liability litigation, on Wednesday, March 
20, 1996.
  Page S2340
Public/Federal Grasslands Management--Agreement: A unanimous-consent 
agreement was reached providing for the consideration of S. 1459, to 
provide for uniform management of livestock grazing on Federal land, on 
Wednesday, March 20, 1996.
  Page S2340
Appointments:
   Mexico-United States Interparliamentary Union: The Chair, on behalf 
of the Vice President, pursuant to 22 U.S.C. Section 276h-276k, 
appointed Senator Hutchison as the chairman of the Senate delegation to 
the Mexico-United States Interparliamentary Union during the second 
session of the 104th Congress.
  Page S2340
Messages From the President: Senate received the following messages 
from the President of the United States:
  Transmitting the report of the budget of the U.S. Government for 
fiscal year 1997; which was referred jointly, pursuant to the order of 
January 30, 1975, as modified by the order of April 11, 1986, to the 
Committee on Appropriations and to the Committee on the Budget. (PM-
133).
Pages S2325-27
Messages From the President:
  Pages S2325-27
Messages From the House:
  Page S2325
Communications:
  Page S2327
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S2327-31
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S2331-32
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S2332-33
Authority for Committees:
  Page S2334
Additional Statements:
  Pages S2334-40
Record Votes: Seven record votes were taken today. (Total-43) 
                                    Pages S2278-81, S2283, S2309, S2316
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9 a.m., and adjourned at 6:40 p.m., 
until 10 a.m., on Wednesday, March 20, 1996. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S2340.)