[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 120 (Thursday, September 5, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9873-S9874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1997--CONFERENCE REPORT
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous report, the Senate will now
proceed to the consideration of the conference report accompanying H.R.
3845, which the clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the
two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (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, and for other purposes,
having met, after full and free conference, have agreed to
recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses this
report, signed by a majority of the conferees.
The Senate proceeded to consider the conference report.
(The conference report is printed in the House proceedings of the
Record of August 1, 1996.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There shall now be 10 minutes for debate on
the conference report equally divided in the usual form.
The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I am pleased to bring before this body
the conference report on the District of Columbia appropriations.
Needless to say, the city is having difficult times, and it is
important that we expeditiously dispense with the conference report.
This report does not reflect my own views in each instance, nor the
individual views of the Senate conferees. It is the result of true
compromise with our colleagues in the House. The conference report
provides for Federal funding of slightly less than $719 million and
overall spending of $5.1 billion within the District of Columbia.
I regret that, again, this year the conference report dictates to the
city how it will spend its own funds on controversial social issues.
The conference report continues current law on subjects of both
abortion and the District's domestic partners legislation.
Unlike the Senate-passed appropriations bill, the conference report
provides that no funds, Federal or local, may be used to fund abortion
except in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother would
be endangered. Likewise, no funds may be used to implement the domestic
partners legislation adopted by the District 4 years ago.
I am pleased, however, that these were the only divisive issues in
the conference this year and that we are bringing the conference report
before the Senate in early September rather than the following April,
as last year.
The major budget differences between the House and Senate bills was
the inclusion in the House bill of a deficit cap of $40 million. Under
the consensus budget submitted to the Congress by the council, the
financial authority and the Mayor, the deficit was projected to be some
$99 million out of total spending of $5.108 billion in fiscal year
1997.
The House bill permitted a deficit of only $40 million, leaving it to
the city to determine where the additional savings would be found. The
conference report adopts a modification of the House proposal with a
deficit cap of $74 million for fiscal year 1997. This figure is roughly
halfway between the House and Senate versions and represents the
substantial progress toward a balanced budget that was called for in
last year's legislation, establishing both the financial authority and
the District's current budget process.
While not explicitly addressed in this legislation, let me state my
own view that the budget which will be developed for fiscal year 1998
should also show substantial progress towards fiscal balance. While I
can only speak for myself, I believe the budget deficit for fiscal year
1998 should be in the $30 million to $40 million range, not the over
$90 million deficit projected in the current financial plan.
Let me briefly touch on two other issues. First, the conference
report largely adopts the city's consensus budget, and the architects
of that budget--the council, the financial authority and the mayor--
must be commended for working together to draft it. That budget process
was sometimes bumpy, but no more so than our own.
Second, while we need to achieve a balance of this budget by fiscal
year 1999, that fiscal balance will be very tenuous until we provide
the District with help on issues outside the jurisdiction of the
Appropriations Committee. My colleagues know that we cannot balance the
Federal budget in the Appropriations Committee. That committee cannot
balance the District's budget for very long either.
Once we have worked with the city's elected officials and the
financial authority to squeeze every last penny out of the budget, I
believe we will be faced with problems in entitlements programs, such
as Medicaid and pensions, that will require Federal assistance to
solve.
I thank my colleagues on the committee for their cooperation. Senator
Kohl, my ranking member, has been of great assistance, a great
cooperator, as has Senator Campbell. I deeply appreciate the guidance
and support from Senator Byrd and Chairman Hatfield. I am deeply sorry
that this marks the last appropriations bill I will manage during
Chairman Hatfield's tenure. I will miss his leadership. It has been
extraordinary working with him, and he has been a comfort to me when I
have faced difficult issues.
Finally, I wish to recognize the excellent work of the staff of the
subcommittee: Terry Sauvain of the minority and Tim Leeth of the
majority. Had Tim delayed his departure to the control board a few
weeks, he would have sat here and had all kinds of praise heaped upon
him for his almost two decades of service to Members of both sides of
the aisle. Instead, he will have to accept our thanks from afar.
Mr. President, before I conclude, let me move on to the District of
Columbia and its problems. The headlines have been speaking to us daily
about the difficulties. Before we recessed for August, we already
recognized that the city had water problems, and we appropriated in
this bill a million dollars to try to help solve that.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I yield another 2 minutes to Senator
Jeffords.
Mr. JEFFORDS. I thank my friend. Also, I would like to mention the
problems of the schools. We are well aware of them. The Senate tried to
accommodate the problems with respect to the opening of schools, but we
were unable to do so by the close of this last session. We are working
very hard now, working with Senator Kohl and the House, to provide ways
to fund the repairs to the schools without using Federal funds.
But I will also say, it is obvious we need to have the management of
the school system looked at and dealt with, as we have with the city
itself. Second, we have to keep them separate from school reform, which
is also essential and necessary. We have set up a process for doing
that. So I am hopeful by next year we will not have to stand here and
defend the serious problems that we have in the D.C. school system
today.
I yield the floor.
Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I request 5 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.
Mr. KOHL. I thank you.
[[Page S9874]]
Mr. President, I rise today in support of the conference report for
the fiscal year 1997 District of Columbia appropriations bill.
Mr. President, the conference report for the fiscal year 1997
District of Columbia appropriations bill includes $718 million in
Federal funds and $5.02 billion in District of Columbia funds. This
figure is $1 million more in Federal funds and $29 million less in
District of Columbia funds than in the original Senate version of this
bill.
This conference report has my signature and my vote for final
passage. The District's financial situation demands as much. But I do
have reservations: in particular, the inclusion of the Hose of
Representatives' position on abortions and domestic partners. As you
may know the Senate version of the District of Columbia Appropriations
bill, which passed unanimously, contained language allowing the city to
use non-Federal dollars to fund certain abortion services and domestic
partner benefits. Use of Federal moneys to provide these services was
prohibited, but the District could use its own money. For its part, the
House of Representatives; version of the bill prohibited the use of all
funds, including District Funds, in support of these services.
We have been here before. This is not a new debate. In fact, the
House position represents current law. But as a proponent of a woman's
right to choose, I oppose that position both on substantive grounds and
because it is too broad an incursion into home rule. On the issue of
domestic partners, again we should show some measure of restraint when
it comes to an issue on which the local electorate--through its duly
elected officials--has spoken.
Mr. President, I compliment the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator
Jeffords, and thank him for his hard work in representing the views of
the Senate in conference. The House conferees were tough, but fair,
negotiators. They, too, deserve thanks for their cooperation.
I urge my Senate colleagues to adopt the conference report on behalf
of all those who visit, live, and work in the Nation's Capital.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to
be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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