[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 46 (Friday, March 29, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H3204-H3206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS, FISCAL YEAR 1996
Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House, I
call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 170) making further continuing
appropriations for the fiscal year 1996, and for other purposes, and
ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
The text of the joint resolution is as follows:
H.J. Res. 170
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That Public
Law 104-99 is further amended by striking out ``March 29,
1996'' in sections 106(c), 112, 126(c), 202(c) and 214 and
inserting in lieu thereof ``April 24, 1996''; and that Public
Law 104-92 is further amended by striking out ``April 3,
1996'' in section 106(c) and inserting in lieu thereof
``April 24, 1996'' and by inserting in Title IV in the matter
before section 401 ``out of any money in the Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, and'' before ``out of the general
fund''; and that section 347(b)(3) of Public Law 104-50 is
amended to read as follows:
``(3) chapter 71, relating to labor-management relations;';
and that section 204(a) of the Auburn Indian Restoration Act
(25 U.S.C. 1300l-2(a)) is amended by striking ``shall'' in
the first sentence and inserting in lieu thereof ``may''.
Sec. 2. That the following sums are appropriated, out of
any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and for other
purposes, namely:
Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs
funds appropriated to the president, agency for international
development
Assistance for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States
(Including Transfers of Funds)
For an additional amount for ``Assistance for Eastern
Europe and the Baltic States'' for Bosnia and Herzegovina,
including demining assistance, $198,000,000: Provided,
[[Page H3205]]
That of the funds appropriated under this heading by this Act
that are made available for the economic revitalization
program in Bosnia and Herzegovina, not less than 87.5 percent
shall be obligated and expended for programs, projects, and
activities, within the sector assigned to American forces of
the military Implementation Force (IFOR) established by the
North Atlantic Council pursuant to the General Framework
Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and within the
Sarajevo area: Provided further, That the preceding proviso
shall not apply to any project that involves activities in
both the American IFOR sector and other contiguous sectors:
Provided further, That priority consideration should be given
to projects and activities designated in the IFOR ``Task
Force Eagle civil military project list'' in making available
funds for the economic revitalization program: Provided
further, That none of the funds appropriated under this
heading by this Act shall be made available for the
construction of new housing or residences in Bosnia and
Herzegovina: Provided further, That none of the funds
appropriated under this heading by this Act or under this
heading in Public Law 104-107 may be made available for the
purposes of repairing housing in areas where refugees or
displaced persons are refused, by Federation or local
authorities, the right of return due to ethnicity or
political party affiliation: Provided further, That not to
exceed $5,000,000 may be transferred to ``Debt
Restructuring'' to be made available only for the cost, as
defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974, of modifying direct loans and loan guarantees,
notwithstanding any other provision of law: Provided further,
That $3,000,000 shall be transferred to ``Operating Expenses
of the Agency for International Development'' for
administrative expenses: Provided further, That the
additional amount appropriated or otherwise made available
herein is designated by Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended:
Provided further, That the provisions of section 515 of
Public Law 104-107, and any similar provision of law
requiring advance notification to the Congress, shall be
applicable to funds appropriated under this heading, except
that the requirements of those provisions shall be satisfied
by notification five days in advance of the obligation of
such funds: Provided further, That, effective ninety days
after the date of enactment of this Act, none of the funds
appropriated under this heading by this Act may be made
available for the purposes of economic revitalization in
Bosnia and Herzegovina unless the President determines and
certifies in writing to the Committees on Appropriations that
the aggregate bilateral contributions pledged by non-United
States donors for economic revitalization are at least
equivalent to the United States bilateral contributions for
economic revitalization made by this Act and in Public Law
104-107: Provided further, That 50 percent of the funds
appropriated under this heading by this Act that are made
available for economic revitalization shall not be available
for obligation unless the President determines and certifies
to the Committees on Appropriations that the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina has complied with article III of
Annex 1-A of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in
Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning the withdrawal of
foreign forces, and that intelligence cooperation on
training, investigations, and related activities between
Iranian officials and Bosnian officials has been
terminated: Provided further, That funds withheld from
obligation pursuant to the previous proviso may be made
available for obligation and expenditure after June 15,
1996, notwithstanding the previous proviso if the
President determines and reports to the Committees on
Appropriations that it is important to the national
security interest of the United States to do so: Provided
further, That the authority contained in the previous
proviso to make such a determination may be exercised by
the President only and may not be delegated: Provided
further, That with regard to funds appropriated under this
heading by this Act (and local currencies generated by
such funds) that are made available for economic
revitalization, the Administrator of the Agency for
International Development shall provide written approval
for grants and loans prior to the obligation and
expenditure of funds for such purposes, and the
Administrator shall receive the agreement of grantees that
such funds shall be subject to audits by the Inspector
General of the Agency for International Development:
Provided further, That with regard to funds appropriated
under this heading by this Act (and local currencies
generated by such funds) that are made available for
economic revitalization, the Administrator of the Agency
for International Development shall provide written
approval for the use of funds that have been returned or
repaid to any lending facility and grantee under the
economic revitalization program prior to the use of such
returned or repaid funds: Provided further, That,
notwithstanding any provision of law under this heading in
Public Law 104-107, the provisions of section 532 of that
Act shall be applicable to funds appropriated under this
heading that are used under the economic revitalization
program and to local currencies generated by such funds:
Provided further, That such local currencies may be used
only for program purposes: Provided further, That for the
purposes of this Act, local currency generations under the
economic revitalization program shall include the
conversion of funds appropriated under this heading into
currency used by Bosnia and Herzegovina as local currency
and local currency returned or repaid under such program.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gutknecht). Pursuant to the order of the
House today, the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] and the
gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] will each control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston].
general leave
Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
on House Joint Resolution 170, and that I may include tabular and
extraneous material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Louisiana?
There was no objection.
Mr LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
(Mr. LIVINGSTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I had hoped to stand before the House
today and ask for the opportunity to present the final solution, if you
will, for fiscal year 1996, the wrap-up bill, the omnibus bill, the
bill that has plagued this House for the last 6 months. Unfortunately,
that was not to be the case.
However, I am very pleased to tell the Speaker and our colleagues
that we are really within hours of presenting that solution.
Unfortunately, we cannot complete it before we go on break for the
district work period. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, we have to come back in a
few days after the recess and complete our business. In fact, I really
do not think it will take very long. Assuming our leadership continues
to work with the White House, and we get cooperation from all parties,
we should be able to conclude the mighty bill.
The fact is most of the issues in the remaining appropriations bills
have been resolved, but there are still a few of them that are
uncompleted. We also have not quite resolved both the payment of the
funding level for those bills and the ``paid fors'' anything that
exceeds the House budget levels.
We are still working on offsets; we are still working on such
problems as the HIV issue within the national security bill; the
abortion issue within the foreign operations bill, ergonomics, and
various other isolated issues. I want to compliment all of the
conferees in both House and Senate, Republican and Democrat, Mr.
Speaker, for pitching in, shoulder to shoulder, over the last few days
and working diligently in the hopes that we could finalize our
negotiations by this time today. It was not to be, but it was not for
lack of a conscientious bipartisan effort. I am deeply grateful to all
of the Members for pitching in.
Since that is the case, Mr. Speaker, I am compelled and pleased to
present to the House the current bill, which extends all of the current
continuing resolutions and all of the appropriations bills that are
contained within those continuing resolutions, through April 24.
Tomorrow, Members will go back to their districts to hold town
meetings, make appearances, and spend time with their families. This
may be a change from the last few weeks, but the fact is that by the
time they return, there will only be 6 legislative days before the end
of the this current continuing resolution we're presenting to the House
today.
Mr. Speaker, this bill also provides four separate items which we
feel are of such an emergency status that we must address them. The
first provides a full year Federal payment to the District of Columbia,
of without which the District of Columbia would collapse and cease to
function. Second, it appropriates $198 million for Bosnia and
Herzegovina for economic revitalization, money that is needed today. It
is needed with most urgency in order to help our troops complete their
tasks and pull out of that troubled region. These funds would have been
included in the conference agreement on H.R. 3019, but because of the
urgent need, they are being advanced in this resolution.
Then, really, there are only two technical provisions. One amends the
fiscal
[[Page H3206]]
year 1996 Transportation Appropriation Act to clarify FAA personnel
reforms, and the other simply amends the Auburn Indian Restoration Act
to create discretionary authority for the Secretary of the Interior to
accept lands into trust status on behalf of the tribe. These two items
are technical in nature, and meet bipartisan consensus, and there is no
objection to them.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me simply say that I am extremely disappointed that
once again we are having to fund government on a stop-and-go basis,
with yet, I believe, the 12th or 13th, maybe it is lucky 13, 13th CR or
continuing resolution for this fiscal year.
I am extremely disappointed that more progress was not made this week
in finishing action on the entire set of appropriation matters for the
remainder of the fiscal year. What the situation is, is basically this:
The Senate, in a constructive move, moved this process much closer to a
possible White House signature by the changes that they made in the
House appropriation bills when they were before the Senate, but as the
White House has made quite clear, much as they welcome that movement in
the Senate, they still require some additional movement in order to
achieve a bipartisan compromise.
It is not just enough for the Members of the House to reach agreement
with the Members of the Senate, or for Members of one party in the
House to reach agreement with the Members of their party in the
Senate. We also have to reach agreement between the leadership of the
Congress and the leadership of the executive branch, which means the
President of the United States. He has indicated he still is
considerably concerned about remaining insufficiencies, especially in
the area of education, worker training, and environmental protection.
So I think, Mr. Speaker, we will be focusing on those issues very
firmly over the next 2 weeks. Meanwhile, the committee has again
brought a short-term continuing resolution to the floor. This
resolution is, regrettably, and in my view unnecessarily restrictive in
terms of the funding levels that it provides for a number of areas,
most especially including programs like chapter 1; and we know that we
have some 40,000 school districts who are facing the prospect of having
to lay off teachers if this is not resolved. That is why this must be
resolved. But we are not quite there yet. I think we are moving a bit
closer, but it is really going to require earnest negotiations over the
next 2 weeks in order to put this matter to bed for the remainder of
the fiscal year.
Let me simply say, Mr. Speaker, I know Members what to get out of
here. I regret very much the fact that this resolution has such a
restricted funding level, especially in the area of education, as I
have said, but that is what we have before us. I would simply say that
it is my determination to pursue every possible avenue of compromise
over the next 2 weeks, so we can get the matter resolved. I thank the
chairman of the committee for his assistance in dealing with issues on
which we both agree and disagree.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I would just simply urge all our Members, Mr. Speaker, to keep the
Government open, support this resolution, and have a happy Easter; and
notice how I said that: Have a very happy Easter.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today,
the previous question is ordered.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the joint
resolution.
The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third
time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider
was laid on the table.
____________________