[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4761-S4763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BUDGET CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                MURRAY (AND WELLSTONE) AMENDMENT NO. 291

  (Order to lie on the table.)
  Mrs. MURRAY (for herself and Mr. Wellstone) submitted an amendment 
intended to proposed by them to the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 
27) setting forth the congressional budget for the U.S. Government for 
fiscal years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC.   . SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FAMILY VIOLENCE OPTION 
                   CLARIFYING AMENDMENT.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Domestic violence is the leading cause of physical 
     injury to women. The Department of Justice estimates that 
     over 1,000,000 violent crimes against women are committed by 
     intimate partners annually.
       (2) Domestic violence dramatically affects the victim's 
     ability to participate in the workforce. A University of 
     Minnesota survey reported that \1/4\ of battered women 
     surveyed had lost a job partly because of being abused and 
     that over \1/2\ of these women had been harassed by their 
     abuser at work.
       (3) Domestic violence is often intensified as women seek to 
     gain economic independence through attending school or 
     training programs. Batterers have been reported to prevent 
     women from attending these programs or sabotage their efforts 
     at self-improvement.

[[Page S4762]]

       (4) Nationwide surveys of service providers prepared by the 
     Taylor Institute of Chicago, Illinois, document, for the 
     first time, the interrelationship between domestic violence 
     and welfare by showing that from 34 percent to 65 percent of 
     AFDC recipients are current or past victims of domestic 
     violence.
       (5) Over \1/2\ of the women surveyed stayed with their 
     batterers because they lacked the resources to support 
     themselves and their children. The surveys also found that 
     the availability of economic support is a critical factor in 
     poor women's ability to leave abusive situations that 
     threaten them and their children.
       (6) The restructuring of the welfare programs may impact 
     the availability of the economic support and the safety net 
     necessary to enable poor women to flee abuse without risking 
     homelessness and starvation for their families.
       (7) In recognition of this finding, the Committee on the 
     Budget of the Senate in considering the 1997 Resolution on 
     the budget of the United States unanimously adopted a sense 
     of the Congress amendment concerning domestic violence and 
     Federal assistance. Subsequently, Congress adopted the family 
     violence option amendment as part of the Personal 
     Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
     1996.
       (8) The family violence option gives States the flexibility 
     to grant temporary waivers from time limits and work 
     requirements for domestic violence victims who would suffer 
     extreme hardship from the application of these provisions. 
     These waivers were not intended to be included as part of the 
     permanent 20 percent hardship exemption.
       (9) The Department of Health and Human Services has been 
     slow to issue regulations regarding this provision. As a 
     result, States are hesitant to fully implement the family 
     violence option fearing that it will interfere with the 20 
     percent hardship exemption.
       (10) Currently 15 States have opted to include the family 
     violence option in their welfare plans, and 13 other States 
     have included some type of domestic violence provisions in 
     their plans.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that the provisions of this 
     Resolution assume that--
       (1) States should not be subject to any numerical limits in 
     granting domestic violence good cause waivers under section 
     402(a)(7)(A)(iii) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     602(a)(7)(A)(iii)) to individuals receiving assistance, for 
     all requirements where compliance with such requirements 
     would make it more difficult for individuals receiving 
     assistance to escape domestic violence; and
       (2) any individual who is granted a domestic violence good 
     cause waiver by a State shall not be included in the States' 
     20 percent hardship exemption under section 408(a)(7) of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)).
                                 ______
                                 

                 ALLARD (AND INHOFE) AMENDMENT NO. 292

  Mr. ALLARD (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) proposed an amendment to the 
concurrent resolution, Senate Concurrent Resolution 27, supra; as 
follows:

       At the end of title II, add the following:

     SEC.   . OFFSET OF REVENUE SHORTFALLS BY DISCRETIONARY 
                   SPENDING REDUCTIONS.

       (a) Point of Order.--It shall not be in order in the Senate 
     to consider any concurrent resolution on the budget for 
     fiscal year 1999, 2000, 2001, or 2002 that provides a revenue 
     total for any of those fiscal years below the levels provided 
     in this resolution unless the discretionary budget authority 
     and outlay totals in that resolution are reduced to offset 
     the amount by which revenues are below the levels provided in 
     this resolution.
       (b) Waiver.--This section may be waived or suspended in the 
     Senate only by the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the 
     Members, duly chosen and sworn.
       (c) Appeals.--Appeals in the Senate from the decisions of 
     the Chair relating to any provision of this section shall be 
     limited to 1 hour, to be equally divided between, and 
     controlled by, the appellant and the manager of the 
     concurrent resolution, bill, or joint resolution, as the case 
     may be. An affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members of 
     the Senate, duly chosen and sworn, shall be required in the 
     Senate to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a 
     point of order raised under this section.
       (d) Determination of Budget Levels.--For purposes of this 
     section, the levels of new budget authority, outlays, new 
     entitlement authority, and revenues for a fiscal year shall 
     be determined on the basis of estimates made by the Committee 
     on the Budget of the Senate.
                                 ______
                                 

                        ALLARD AMENDMENT NO. 293

  Mr. ALLARD proposed an amendment to the concurrent resolution Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 27, supra; as follows:

       At the end of the budget resolution add the following new 
     section:

     SEC.   . SENSE OF THE SENATE ON REPAYMENT OF THE FEDERAL 
                   DEBT.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--
       (1) Congress and the President have a basic moral and 
     ethical responsibility to future generations to repay the 
     Federal debt, including money borrowed from the Social 
     Security Trust Fund;
       (2) the Congress and the President should enact a law that 
     creates a regimen for paying off the Federal debt within 30 
     years; and
       (3) if spending growth were held to a level one percentage 
     point lower than projected growth in revenues, then the 
     Federal debt could be repaid within 30 years.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that the provisions of this resolution assume that--
       (1) the President's annual budget submission to Congress 
     should include a plan for repayment of the Federal debt 
     beyond the year 2002, including the money borrowed from the 
     Social Security Trust Fund; and
       (2) the plan should specifically explain how the President 
     would cap spending growth at a level one percentage point 
     lower than projected growth in revenues.
                                 ______
                                 

                  McCAIN (AND MACK) AMENDMENT NO. 294

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. McCAIN (for himself and Mr. Mack) submitted an amendment intended 
to be proposed by them to the concurrent resolution S. Con. Res. 27, 
supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC.  . HIGHWAY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--
       (1) 10 demonstration projects totaling $362 million were 
     listed for special line-item funding in the Surface 
     Transportation Assistance Act of 1982;
       (2) 152 demonstration projects totaling $1.4 billion were 
     named in the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation 
     Assistance Act of 1987;
       (3) 64 percent of the funding for the 152 projects had not 
     been obligated after 5 years and State transportation 
     officials determined the projects added little, if any, to 
     meeting their transportation infrastructure priorities;
       (4) 538 location specific projects totaling $6.23 billion 
     were included in the Intermodal Surface Transportation 
     Efficiency Act of 1991;
       (5) more than $3.3 billion of the funds authorized for the 
     538 location specific-projects remained unobligated as of 
     January 31, 1997;
       (6) the General Accounting Office determined that 31 States 
     plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico would have 
     received more funding if the Intermodal Surface 
     Transportation Efficiency Act location-specific project funds 
     were redistributed as Federal-aid highway program 
     apportionments;
       (7) this type of project funding diverts Highway Trust Fund 
     money away from State transportation priorities established 
     under the formula allocation process and under the Intermodal 
     Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act of 1991;
       (8) on June 20, 1995, by a vote of 75 yeas to 21 nays, the 
     Senate voted to prohibit the use of Federal Highway Trust 
     Fund money for future demonstration projects;
       (9) the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency 
     Act of 1991 expires at the end of Fiscal Year 1997; and
       (10) hundreds of funding requests for specific 
     transportation projects in Congressional Districts have been 
     submitted in the House of Representatives.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that--
       (1) notwithstanding different views on existing Highway 
     Trust Fund distribution formulas, funding for demonstration 
     projects or other similarly titled projects diverts Highway 
     Trust Fund money away from State priorities and deprives 
     States of the ability to adequately address their 
     transportation needs;
       (2) States are best able to determine the priorities for 
     allocating Federal-Aid-To-Highway monies within their 
     jurisdiction;
       (3) Congress should not divert limited Highway Trust Fund 
     resources away from State transportation priorities by 
     authorizing new highway projects; and
       (4) Congress should not authorize any new demonstration 
     projects or other similarly-titled projects.
                                 ______
                                 

                       HOLLINGS AMENDMENT NO. 295

  Mr. HOLLINGS proposed an amendment to the concurrent resolution, 
Senate Concurrent Resolution 27, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following: 
     ``Notwithstanding any other provision of this resolution, all 
     function levels, allocations, aggregates and reconciliation 
     instructions in this resolution shall be adjusted to reflect 
     elimination of tax cuts of $85 billion from baseline levels 
     and elimination of Presidential initiatives of $31.2 billion 
     and interest savings of $13.8 billion for a total saving of 
     $130 billion over five years.''
                                 ______
                                 

                  DODD (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 296

  Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Jeffords, Ms. Murray, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. 
Wellstone, Mr. Landrieu, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Kerry) proposed an 
amendment to the concurrent resolution, Senate Concurrent Resolution 
27, supra; as follows:

       On page 3, line 4, increase the amount by 2,006,000,000.
       On page 3, line 5, increase the amount by 2,820,000,000.

[[Page S4763]]

       On page 3, line 6, increase the amount by 3,991,000,000.
       On page 3, line 7, increase the amount by 5,766,000,000.
       On page 3, line 12, increase the amount by 2,006,000,000
       On page 3, line 13, increase the amount by 2,820,000,000
       On page 3, line 14, increase the amount by 3,991,000,000
       On page 3, line 15, increase the amount by 5,766,000,000
       On page 4, line 5, increase the amount by 2,533,000,000
       On page 4, line 6, increase the amount by 3,481,000,000
       On page 4, line 7, increase the amount by 4,993,000,000
       On page 4, line 8, increase the amount by 7,305,000,000
       On page 4, line 13, increase the amount by 2,006,000,000
       On page 4, line 14, increase the amount by 2,820,000,000
       On page 4, line 15, increase the amount by 3,991,000,000
       On page 4, line 16, increase the amount by 5,766,000,000
       On page 21, line 25, increase the amount by 1,013,000,000
       On page 22, line 1, increase the amount by 643,000,000
       On page 22, line 8, increase the amount by 1,951,000,000
       On page 22, line 9, increase the amount by 1,335,000,000
       On page 22, line 16, increase the amount by 3,453,000,000
       On page 22, line 17, increase the amount by 2,458,000,000
       On page 22, line 24, increase the amount by 5,755,000,000
       On page 22, line 25, increase the amount by 4,224,000,000
       On page 23, line 15, increase the amount by 20,000,000.
       On page 23, line 16, increase the amount by 13,000,000.
       On page 23, line 22, increase the amount by 30,000,000.
       On page 23, line 23, increase the amount by 23,000,000.
       On page 24, line 5, increase the amount by 40,000,000.
       On page 24, line 6, increase the amount by 33,000,000.
       On page 24, line 12, increase the amount by 50,000,000.
       On page 24, line 13, increase the amount by 43,000,000.
       On page 26, line 14, increase the amount by 1,500,000,000.
       On page 26, line 15, increase the amount by 1,350,000,000.
       On page 26, line 22, increase the amount by 1,500,000,000.
       On page 26, line 23, increase the amount by 1,463,000,000.
       On page 27, line 5, increase the amount by 1,500,000,000.
       On page 27, line 6, increase the amount by 1,500,000,000.
       On page 27, line 13, increase the amount by 1,500,000,000.
       On page 27, line 14, increase the amount by 1,500,000,000.
       On page 41, line 7, increase the amount by 5,766,000,000.
       On page 41, line 8, increase the amount by 15,752,000,000.
       On page 43, line 21, increase the amount by 2,533,000,000.
       On page 43, line 22, increase the amount by 2,006,000,000.
       On page 43, line 24, increase the amount by 3,481,000,000.
       On page 43, line 25, increase the amount by 2,820,000,000.
       On page 44, line 2, increase the amount by 4,993,000,000.
       On page 44, line 3, increase the amount by 3,991,000,000.
       On page 44, line 5, increase the amount by 7,305,000,000.
       On page 44, line 6, increase the amount by 5,766,000,000.
       At the appropriate place insert the following:
       It is the sense of the Senate that funding should be 
     increased for vital programs serving the youngest children. 
     Head Start should be funded at a level necessary to serve all 
     eligible children. Funding for the Child Care Development 
     Block Grant should be doubled to support the working poor and 
     new resources should be dedicated to addressing issues of 
     quality and supply in areas such as infant care and care 
     during non-traditional work hours. The Healthy Start should 
     be expanded to improve maternal and infant health. These 
     initiatives should be funded through by changes in the tax 
     code such as the elimination of the runaway plant deduction, 
     the billionaire's loophole, the exclusion of income from 
     Foreign Sales Corporations and other changes as necessary.

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