[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 120 (Thursday, September 5, 1996)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D892-D894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                        Thursday, September 5, 1996

[[Page D892]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed VA/HUD Appropriations.
      Senate agreed to Military Construction and District of Columbia 
      Appropriations Conference Reports.
      House passed the Armed Forces Protection Act.
      House passed the Small Business Programs Improvement Act.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S9869-S9983
Measures Introduced: Three bills and one resolution were introduced, as 
follows: S. 2055-2057, and S. Res. 288.
  Page S9967
Measures Passed:
   Condemning Iraq: By 96 yeas to 1 nay (Vote No. 277), Senate agreed 
to S. Res. 288, regarding the United States response to Iraqi 
aggression.
  Pages S9935-38, S9955-56
   National Museum of the American Indian Act: Senate passed S. 1970, 
to amend the National Museum of the American Indian Act to make 
improvements in the Act.
  Pages S9981-82
   Older Americans--Indians: Senate passed S. 1972, to amend the Older 
Americans Act of 1965 to improve the provisions relating to Indians. 
                                                             Page S9982
   U.S. Armed Forces in Panama: Senate passed S. Con. Res. 14, urging 
the President to negotiate a new base rights agreement with the 
Government of Panama to permit United States Armed Forces to remain in 
Panama beyond December 31, 1999, after agreeing to the following 
amendment proposed thereto:
  Pages S9982-83
  Frist (for Helms) Amendment No. 5202, to require consultation with 
Congress regarding any bilateral negotiations.
Pages S9982-83
   VA/HUD Appropriations: By 95 yeas to 2 nays (Vote No. 278), Senate 
passed H.R. 3666, making appropriations for the Departments of Veterans 
Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent 
agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 1997, taking action on further amendments 
proposed thereto, as follows:
  Pages S9875-S9934, S9938-57
Adopted:
  Bond (for Hollings) Amendment No. 5187, to amend the Housing and 
Community Development Act of 1974 to permit Charleston County and the 
City of North Charleston, South Carolina, to improve conditions and to 
increase their capacity in building a more viable urban community. 
                                                         Pages S9875-76
  Bond (for Bennett) Amendment No. 5188, to provide funds to the Utah 
Housing Finance Agency.
Pages S9876-77
  Subsequently, the amendment was modified.
Page S9939
  Bond (for Faircloth) Amendment No. 5189, to prohibit the use of 
amounts made available under this Act to investigate or prosecute under 
the Fair Housing Act any otherwise lawful activity engaged in by one or 
more persons solely for the purpose of achieving or preventing action 
by a government official or entity, or a court of competent 
jurisdiction.
Pages S9877-78
  By a unanimous vote of 98 yeas (Vote No. 271), Helms Modified 
Amendment No. 5191, to increase funding for drug elimination grants. 
                                                      Pages S9899-S9903
  Bradley/Kassebaum/Frist Amendment No. 5192, to require that health 
plans provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for a mother and 
child following the birth of the child.
Pages S9903-15
  By a unanimous vote of 98 yeas (Vote No. 272), Frist Amendment No. 
5193 (to Amendment No. 5192), of a clarifying nature.
Pages S9903-15

[[Page D893]]


  By 82 yeas to 15 nays (Vote No. 274), Domenici/Wellstone Amendment 
No. 5194, to provide health plan protections for individuals with a 
mental illness.
Pages S9915-27, S9953
  Gramm Amendment No. 5196 (to Amendment No. 5194), to provide that if 
the provisions result in a one percent or greater increase in the cost 
of a group health plan's premiums, the purchaser is exempt from the 
provisions.
Pages S9926-27
  Daschle Amendment No. 5190, to provide benefits for certain children 
of Vietnam veterans who are born with spina bifida, and to offset the 
cost of such benefits by requiring that there be an element of fault as 
a precondition for entitlement to compensation for a disability or 
death resulting from health care or certain other services furnished by 
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Pages S9932-34, S9955
  Bond (for Bingaman) Amendment No. 5198, to revise the name of the 
Japan-United States Friendship Commission.
Pages S9938-39
  Bond (for Feinstein) Amendment No. 5199, to require the conveyance to 
the City of Downey, California, of certain real property under the 
jurisdiction of NASA.
Page S9939
  Bond (for McCain) Amendment No. 5200, to revise provisions relating 
to mortgage insurance.
Pages S9939-40
  Bond Amendment No. 5201, to provide supplemental appropriations for 
veterans compensation and pensions for fiscal year 1996.
Page S9940
Rejected:
  Brown Amendment No. 5195 (to Amendment No. 5194), to provide that 
consumers shall retain the freedoms to choose a group health plan with 
coverage limitations of their choice. (By 75 yeas to 22 nays (Vote No. 
273), Senate tabled the amendment.)
Pages S9920-26
  Harkin/Moynihan/Specter Amendment No. 5197, to provide that VA 
funding for a state shall not be reduced. (By 60 yeas to 37 nays (Vote 
No. 275), Senate tabled the amendment.)
Pages S9927-32, S9953-55
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 62 yeas to 35 nays (Vote No. 276), Senate failed to sustain a 
point of order that Amendment No. 5190, listed above, was not germane. 
                                                             Page S9955
  Senate insisted on its amendments, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair appointed the following conferees: 
Senators Bond, Burns, Stevens, Shelby, Bennett, Campbell, Hatfield, 
Mikulski, Leahy, Johnston, Lautenberg, Kerrey, and Byrd.
Page S9957
Military Construction Appropriations--Conference Report: By 92 yeas to 
6 nays (Vote No. 269), Senate agreed to the conference report on H.R. 
3517, making appropriations for military construction, family housing, 
and base alignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, clearing the measure for the 
President.
  Pages S9869-73, S9874
D.C. Appropriations--Conference Report: By 83 yeas to 15 nays (Vote No. 
270), Senate 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, clearing the 
measure for the President.
  Pages S9873-74
Department of Defense Authorizations Conference Report--Agreement: A 
unanimous-consent time-agreement was reached providing for 
consideration of the conference report on H.R. 3230, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 1997 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces, on Monday, 
September 9, 1996, with a vote on the conference report to occur at 
2:15 p.m., on Tuesday, September 10, 1996.
  Page S9874
Employment Nondiscrimination Act--Agreement: A unanimous- consent time-
agreement was reached providing for the consideration of S. 2056, to 
prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual 
orientation, on Friday, September 6, and Tuesday, September 10, 1996, 
with a vote to occur thereon.
  Page S9983
Defense of Marriage Act--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was 
reached providing for the consideration of H.R. 3396, to define and 
protect the institution of marriage, on Tuesday, September 10, 1996, 
with a vote to occur thereon.
  Page S9954
  Prior to this agreement, a motion was entered to close further debate 
on the motion to proceed to consideration of the bill.
Page S9926
  Subsequently, the cloture motion was vitiated.
Page S9954
Treasury/Postal Service Appropriations--Agreement: A unanimous-consent 
agreement was reached providing for the consideration of H.R. 3756, 
making appropriations for the Treasury Department, the United States 
Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain 
Independent Agencies, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, on 
Tuesday, September 10, 1996.
  Page S9954
Messages From the President: Senate received the following message from 
the President of the United States:

[[Page D894]]


  Transmitting the report concerning emigration laws and policies of 
Mongolia; to Committee on Finance. (PM-167).
Page S9965
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations: Donald 
M. Middlebrooks, of Florida, to be United States District Judge for the 
Southern District of Florida.
  Page S9983
Messages From the President:
  Page S9965
Messages From the House:
  Pages S9965-66
Measures Referred:
  Page S9966
Measures Placed on Calendar:
  Page S9966
Communications:
  Pages S9966-67
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S9967
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S9967-68
Additional Cosponsors:
  Page S9968
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S9968-77
Notices of Hearings:
  Page S9977
Authority for Committees:
  Page S9977
Additional Statements:
  Pages S9977-81
Record Votes: Ten record votes were taken today. (Total--278) 
                   Pages S9874, S9902-03, S9915, S9926, S9953, S9954-57
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 11:17 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., on Friday, September 6, 1996. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S9983.)