[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D859-D861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Bills Introduced: 13 public bills, H.R. 3936-3948; 1 private bill, H.R. 
3949; and 5 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 206-207, and H. Res. 504-506 were 
introduced.
  Pages H9705-06
Reports Filed: Reports were filed as follows:
  Conference report on H.R. 3448, to provide tax relief for small 
businesses, to protect jobs, to create opportunities, and to increase 
the take home pay of workers (H. Rept. 104-737);
  H. Res. 502, waiving points of order against the conference report to 
accompany, H.R. 3103, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to 
improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the 
group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in 
health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of 
medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services 
and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance (H. 
Rept. 104-738);
  H. Res. 503, waiving points of order against the conference report to 
accompany H.R. 3448, to provide tax relief for small businesses, to 
protect jobs, to create opportunities, to increase the take home pay of 
workers, to amend the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 relating to the 
payment of wages to employees who use employer owned vehicles, and to 
amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the minimum wage 
rate and to prevent job loss by providing flexibility to employers in 
complying with minimum wage and overtime requirements under the Act (H. 
Rept. 104-739);
  Conference report on H.R. 3845, making appropriations for the 
government of the District of Columbia and other activities chargeable 
in whole or in part against revenues of said District for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 1997 (H. Rept. 104-740);
  Conference report on S. 1316, to reauthorize and amend title XIV of 
the Public Health Service Act (commonly known as the ``Safe Drinking 
Water Act'' (H. Rept. 104-741);
  H.R. 3378, to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to extend 
the demonstration program for direct billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and 
other third party payers (H. Rept. 104-742 Part I); and
  H. Res. 507, waiving points of order against the conference report to 
accompany S. 1316 to reauthorize and amend title XIV of the Public 
Health Service Act, commonly known as the ``Safe Drinking Water Act'' 
(H. Rept. 104-743); and
  H. Res. 508, providing for consideration for a certain motion to 
suspend the rules (H. Rept. 104-744).
Pages H9568-H9703, H9704-05
Committees to Sit: The following committees and their subcommittees 
received permission to sit today during proceedings of the House under 
the 5-minute rule: Agriculture, Banking and Financial Services, 
Commerce, Economic and Educational Opportunities, Government Reform and 
Oversight, International Relations, Judiciary, Resources, Science, 
Small Business, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Select 
Intelligence.
  Page H9710
Order of Business: It was made in order that at any time to consider a 
conference report to accompany the bill H.R. 3754, that all points of 
order against the conference report and against its consideration be 
waived, and that the conference report be considered as read when 
called up.
  Page H9710
Legislative Branch Appropriations: By a yea-and-nay vote of 397 yeas to 
22 nays, Roll No. 386, the House agreed to the conference report on 
H.R. 3754, making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 1997.
  Pages H9710-25
Agriculture Appropriations: By a yea-and-nay vote of 379 yeas to 42 
nays, Roll No. 387, the House agreed to the conference report on H.R. 
3603, making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food 
and Drug Administration, and Related

[[Page D860]]

Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1997. 
                                                             Page H9725
  H. Res. 496, waiving points of order against the conference report to 
accompany H.R. 3603, was laid on the table.
Page H9725
English Language Empowerment: By a recorded vote of 259 ayes to 169 
noes, Roll No. 391, the House passed H.R. 123, to amend title 4, United 
States Code, to declare English as the official language of the 
Government of the United States.
  Pages H9738-72
  Rejected the Serrano motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on 
Economic and Educational Opportunities with instructions to report the 
bill back forthwith with an amendment in the nature of a substitute 
that sought to include findings relating to English as the language of 
the United States, policies that promote English, and require 
Presidential campaigns and Federal elections to be conducted in English 
(rejected by a recorded vote of 171 ayes to 257 noes, Roll No. 390). 
                                                         Pages H9769-72
  Agreed to the amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of 
the text of H.R. 3898, as amended, made in order by the rule. 
                                                         Pages H9753-55
  Agreed to the Cunningham amendment, as modified by unanimous consent, 
that cites the title as the Bill Emerson Language Empowerment Act of 
1996, clarifies that the bill does not affect Native Alaskan or Native 
American languages, the Individuals with Disabilities Act, or terms of 
art and phrases from foreign languages.
Pages H9755-56
  Rejected the Serrano amendment in the nature of a substitute that 
sought to include findings relating to English as the primary language 
of the United States and policies that promote English as the common 
language (rejected by a recorded vote of 178 ayes to 250 noes, Roll No. 
389)
Pages H9756-69
  H. Res. 499, the rule which provided for consideration of the bill 
was agreed to by a yea-and-nay vote of 236 yeas to 178 nays, Roll No. 
388.
Pages H9725-38
Employee Association Representation: The House agreed to the Senate 
amendment to H.R. 782, to amend title 18 of the United States Code to 
allow members of employee associations to represent their views before 
the United States Government--clearing the measure for the President. 
                                                         Pages H9772-73
J. Phil Campbell Conservation Center: The House passed H.R. 3387, to 
designate the Southern Piedmont Conservation Research Center located at 
1420 Experimental Station Road in Watkinsville, Georgia, as the ``J. 
Phil Campbell, Senior Natural Resource Conservation Center''. 
                                                         Pages H9773-74
Iosco County, Michigan Property: The House passed H.R. 2670, to provide 
for the release of the reversionary interest held by the United States 
in certain property located in the County of Iosco, Michigan. 
                                                         Pages H9774-75
  Agreed to the Committee amendment.
Page H9775
Mark Twain National Forest: The House passed H.R. 3464, to make a minor 
adjustment in the exterior boundary of the Devils Backbone Wilderness 
in the Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri, to exclude a small parcel 
of land containing improvements.
  Page H9775
  Agreed to the Committee amendment.
Page H9775
Health Care Reform: By a yea-and-nay vote of 421 yeas to 2 nays, Roll 
No. 393, the House agreed to the conference report on H.R. 3103, to 
amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve portability and 
continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual 
markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and 
health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, 
to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, and to 
simplify the administration of health insurance.
  Pages H9785-96
  Rejected the Stark motion to recommit the conference report to the 
committee on conference with instructions to the managers on the part 
of the House to do everything possible, within the scope of the 
conference, to modify section 305 of the Senate amendment relating to 
mental health insurance parity so as to improve mental health care 
insurance while minimizing any impact on the cost or availability of 
health insurance plans, and to produce a conference report which 
confines itself to the differences between the bill as passed by the 
House and passed by the Senate (rejected by a yea-and-nay vote of 198 
yeas to 228 nays, Roll No. 392).
Page H9795
  H. Res. 502, the rule waiving points of order against consideration 
of the conference report was agreed to by a voice vote. Earlier, agreed 
to H. Res. 500, waiving a requirement requiring a two-thirds vote to 
consider a rule on the same day it is reported from the Committee on 
Rules.
Pages H9775-85
Order of Business: It was made in order that at any time to consider 
conference reports to accompany the bills H.R. 3517 and H.R. 3845, that 
all points of order against both conference reports and against their 
consideration be waived, and that both conference reports be considered 
as read when called up.
  Page H9796
Military Construction Appropriations: By a yea-and-nay vote of 396 yeas 
to 26 nays, Roll No. 394, the House agreed to the conference report on 
H.R.

[[Page D861]]

3517, making appropriations for military construction, family housing, 
and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for 
fiscal year ending September 30, 1997.
  Pages H9796-H9801, H9809-10
  H. Res. 497, waiving points of order against the conference report to 
accompany H.R. 3517, was laid on the table.
Page H9801
District of Columbia Appropriations: By a yea-and-nay vote of 330 yeas 
to 91 nays, Roll No. 395, the House agreed to the conference report on 
H.R. 3845, making appropriations for the government of the District of 
Columbia and other activities chargeable in whole or in part against 
revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1997.
  Pages H9801-09, H9810
Order of Business: It was made in order that notwithstanding clause 1 
of rule XXVII the Speaker may entertain motions to suspend the rules on 
Wednesday, September 4, 1996.
  Page H9811
Defense Authorization: By a yea-and-nay vote of 285 yeas to 132 nays, 
Roll No. 397, the House agreed to the conference report on H.R. 3230, 
to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1997 for military 
activities of the Department of Defense, and to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for fiscal year 1997.
  Pages H9814-24
  Rejected the Dellums motion to recommit the conference report with 
instructions to the managers on the part of the House to insist on 
section 367 of the House bill relating to impact aid assistance to 
local educational agencies for the benefit of dependents of members of 
the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense 
(rejected by a yea-and-nay vote of 181 yeas and 236 nays, Roll No. 
396).
Page H9823
  H. Res. 498 the rule providing for consideration of the bill was 
agreed to earlier by a voice vote.
Pages H9811-13
House Page Board: The Chair announced the Speaker's appointment of 
Representative Fowler to fill a vacancy on the House of Representatives 
Page Board.
  Page H9824
Recess: The House recessed at 11:35 p.m. and reconvened at 12:49 a.m. 
on August 2.
  Page H9836
Senate Messages: Messages received from the Senate today appear on 
pages H9567 and H9785.
Quorum Calls--Votes: Nine yea-and-nay votes and three recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of the House today and appear on pages 
H9724-25, H9725, H9737-38, H9769, H9771, H9772, H9795, H9795-96, H9809-
10, H9810, H9823, and H9824. There were no quorum calls.
Adjournment: Met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 12:50 a.m. on Friday, 
August 2.