[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D527-D529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                             Thursday, May 22, 1997

[[Page D527]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      The House passed H.R. 956, Drug Free Communities Act, under 
      suspension of the rules.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S4925-S5021
Measures Introduced: Twenty bills and one resolution were introduced as 
follows: S. 779-798 and S. Con. Res. 28.
  Pages S5001-02
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. Res. 57, to support the commemoration of the bicentennial of the 
Lewis and Clark Expedition, with amendments.
  S. 610, to implement the obligations of the United States under the 
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, 
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, known 
as ``the Chemical Weapons Convention'' and opened for signature and 
signed by the United States on January 13, 1993, with an amendment in 
the nature of a substitute.
  S. 768, for the relief of Michel Christopher Meili, Giuseppina Meili, 
Mirjam Naomi Meili, and Davide Meili.
Page S5001
Concurrent Budget Resolution: Senate continued consideration of S. Con. 
Res. 27, setting forth the congressional budget for the United States 
government for fiscal years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, taking 
action on amendments proposed thereto, as follows: 
                                               Pages S4925-43, S4944-94
Adopted:
  Lautenberg (for Boxer) Amendment No. 355, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding tax cut benefits.
Pages S4926, S4935, S4992-93
  Bond Modified Amendment No. 324, to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding the protection of children's health. 
                                        Pages S4926, S4959-62, S4985-86
  Lautenberg (for Dodd) Amendment No. 335, to ensure that the 
concurrent resolution conforms with the bipartisan budget agreement to 
restrict revenue reductions over a the ten-year period. 
                                                  Pages S4926, S4981-82
  McCain Modified Amendment No. 328, to express the sense of the Senate 
that the revenues generated to finance an intercity passenger rail fund 
under section 207 should not be appropriated before enactment of 
legislation to reauthorize and reform the National Rail Passenger 
Corporation.
Pages S4926, S4982-84
  By 83 yeas to 16 nays (Vote No. 84), Gramm Modified Amendment No. 
320, to ensure that the 4.3 cents Federal gas tax increase enacted in 
1993 will be transferred to the Highway Trust Fund. 
                                        Pages S4926, S4963-64, S4986-87
  Lautenberg (for Byrd) Modified Amendment No. 353, to expand 
opportunities to access funding in the Highway Reserve Fund. 
                                                     Pages S4926, S4989
  Lautenberg (for Biden) Amendment No. 354, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding the extension of the Violent Crime Reduction Trust 
Fund through fiscal year 2002.
Pages S4926, S4989-90
  Lautenberg (for Kohl/Kerry) Modified Amendment No. 352, to express 
the sense of the Senate on early childhood education. 
                                                  Pages S4926, S4990-91
  Hollings Modified Amendment No. 302, to express the sense of the 
Senate that the Highway Trust Fund should not be taken into account in 
computing the deficit in the budget of the United States. 
                                                     Pages S4925, S4991
  Hollings Modified Amendment No. 303, to express the sense of the 
Senate that the Airport and Airway Trust Fund should not be taken into 
account in computing the deficit in the budget of the United States. 
                                                     Pages S4925, S4991
  Hollings Modified Amendment No. 304, to express the sense of the 
Senate that the Military Retirement Trust Funds should not be taken 
into account in computing the deficit in the budget of the United 
States.
Pages S4925, S4991
  Hollings Modified Amendment No. 305, to express the sense of the 
Senate that the Civil Service

[[Page D528]]

Retirement Trust Fund should not be taken into account in computing the 
deficit in the budget of the United States.
Pages S4925, S4991
  Hollings Modified Amendment No. 306, to express the sense of the 
Senate that the Federal Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund should not 
be taken into account in computing the deficit in the budget of the 
United States.
Pages S4925, 4991
  Bond Modified Amendment No. 325, to express the sense of the Senate 
concerning the Highway Trust Fund.
Pages S4926, S4991
  Faircloth Modified Amendment No. 321, to express the sense of the 
Senate that a non-refundable tax credit for the expenses of an 
education at a 2-year college should be enacted.
Pages S4926, S4992
  Domenici (for Kyl) Modified Amendment No. 348, to express the sense 
of the Senate that the budget resolution agreement does not foreclose 
the possibility of Congress adopting additional tax cuts in the future, 
so long as they are paid for.
Pages S4926, S4992
Rejected:
  Moseley-Braun Amendment No. 336, to provide $5 billion for school 
repair, renovation, modernization, and construction priorities, offset 
by closing tax loopholes. (By 56 yeas to 43 nays (Vote No. 79), Senate 
tabled the amendment.)
Pages S4926-36, S4935-38
  Warner/Baucus Amendment No. 311, to ensure that transportation 
revenues are used solely for transportation. (By 51 yeas to 49 nays 
(Vote No. 80), Senate tabled the amendment.)
Pages S4926, S4945-49
  Bumpers Amendment No. 331, to ensure that the medicare cuts that will 
be enacted are not used to pay tax cuts and that instead the tax cuts 
are completely paid for by the closure of tax loopholes. (By 73 yeas to 
26 nays (Vote No. 81), Senate tabled the amendment.) 
                                           Pages S4926, S4956, S4984-85
  Bumpers Amendment No. 330, to delay the effectiveness of the tax cuts 
assumed in the Budget Resolution until the Federal budget is balanced. 
(By 81 yeas to 18 nays (Vote No. 82), Senate tabled the amendment.) 
                                           Pages S4926, S4956-59, S4985
  Inhofe Amendment No. 301, to create a point of order against any 
budget resolution for fiscal years after 2001 that causes a unified 
budget deficit for the budget year or any of the 4 fiscal years 
following the budget year. (By 52 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. 85), Senate 
tabled the amendment.)
Pages S4925, S4980-81, S4987-88
Pending:
  Kerry Amendment No. 309, to allocate funds for early childhood 
development programs for children ages zero to six. 
                                                  Pages S4926, S4951-56
  Dorgan Amendment No. 310, to express the sense of the Senate that the 
Congress should continue efforts to reduce the on-budget deficit 
without counting social security surpluses.
Page S4926
  Wellstone Modified Amendment No. 313, to provide for increases in 
funding for Headstart and Earlystart, child nutrition programs, and 
school construction, which will be paid for by reducing tax benefits to 
the top 2 percent of income earners in the United States as well as by 
reducing tax benefits that are characterized as corporate welfare or 
tax loopholes.
Pages S4926, S4973-77
  Wellstone Amendment No. 314, to provide that Pell Grants for needy 
students should be increased.
Pages S4926, S4977-80
  Abraham Amendment No. 316, to express the sense of the Senate that, 
to the extent that future revenues exceed the revenue aggregates, those 
additional revenues should be reserved for deficit reduction and tax 
cuts only.
Pages S4926, S4988-89
  Gramm Amendment No. 319, to ensure that the discretionary limits 
provided in the budget resolution shall apply in all years. 
                                                             Page S4926
  McCain/Hollings Amendment No. 326, to express the sense of the Senate 
that the Congress shall take such steps as necessary to reconcile the 
difference between actual revenues raised and estimates made and shall 
reduce spending accordingly if Spectrum Auctions raise less revenue 
than projected.
Page S4926
  McCain/Mack Amendment No. 327, to express the sense of the Senate 
with respect to certain highway demonstration projects.
Page S4926
  Lautenberg (for Moseley-Braun) Amendment No. 333, to express the 
sense of the Senate regarding the use of budget savings.
Page S4926
  Lautenberg (for Moseley-Braun) Amendment No. 334, to express the 
sense of the Senate regarding the value of the social security system 
for future retirees.
Page S4926
  Specter Amendment No. 338, to provide for a reduction in mandatory 
spending and an increase in discretionary spending relating to 
children's health.
Page S4926
  Specter Amendment No. 339, to provide for a reduction in mandatory 
spending and an increase in discretionary spending relating to 
children's health.
Page S4926
  Specter Amendment No. 340, to restore funding within the 
discretionary health function to maintain progress in medical research, 
offset by reductions in Federal agency administrative costs. 
                                        Pages S4926, S4962-63, S4964-68
  Domenici (for Grams) Amendment No. 346, to require that the $225 
billion CBO revenue receipt windfall be used to for deficit reduction 
and tax relief, and that non-defense discretionary spending be kept at 
a freeze baseline level.
Page S4926

[[Page D529]]


  Domenici (for Coverdell) Amendment No. 347, to provide for parental 
involvement in prevention of drug use by children.
Page S4926
  Domenici (for Snowe/Coverdell) Amendment No. 349, to express the 
sense of the Senate relative to higher education tax relief and higher 
education expenses.
Page S4926
Withdrawn:
  Bumpers Amendment No. 332, to express the sense of the Senate that no 
budget reconciliation bill shall increase the Federal deficit. 
                                           Pages S4926, S4958, S4969-73
  Ashcroft Amendment No. 323, to limit increases in the statutory limit 
on the debt to the levels in the budget resolution. 
                                              Pages S4926, S4973, S4987
  Murray/Wellstone Amendment No. 291, to express the sense of the 
Congress concerning domestic violence.
Pages S4925, S4989
  Lautenberg (for Harkin) Amendment No. 350, to express the sense of 
the Senate supporting an increase in funding for defense 050 account 
funds dedicated for medical research.
Pages S4926, S4989
  Lautenberg (for Harkin/Bingaman) Amendment No. 351, to reduce the 
incentives to use tax gimmicks that artificially increase revenues in 
2002 in ways that make balancing the deficit more difficult after 2002.
                                                      Page S4926, S4989
  Robb Amendment No. 356, to express the sense of the Senate on social 
security and retirement savings.
Pages S4926, S4989
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 41 yeas to 58 nays (Vote No. 83), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected a motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act with respect to 
consideration of Ashcroft Amendment No. 322, to add enforcement 
mechanisms to reflect the stated commitment to reach a balanced budget 
in 2002, to maintain a balanced budget thereafter, and to achieve these 
goals without raising taxes. Subsequently, a point of order that the 
amendment was in violation of section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional 
Budget Act was sustained, and the amendment thus fell.
Page S4986
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the resolution and amendments pending thereto, on 
Friday, May 23, 1997, with a final vote to occur thereon.
Page S5021
Appointments:
  North Atlantic Assembly: The Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, 
in accordance with 22 U.S.C. 1928a-1928d, as amended, appointed Senator 
Hatch as a member of the Senate Delegation to the North Atlantic 
Assembly during the First Session of the 105th Congress, to be held in 
Luxembourg, May 28-June 1, 1997.
  Page S5021
  North Atlantic Assembly: The Chair, on behalf of the Vice President, 
in accordance with 22 U.S.C. 1928a-1928d, as amended, appointed Senator 
Biden as Vice Chairman of the Senate Delegation to the North Atlantic 
Assembly during the 105th Congress.
  Page S5021
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Kenneth S. Apfel, of Maryland, to be Commissioner of Social Security 
for the term expiring January 19, 2001.
  Stanley O. Roth, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of State.
  Marc Grossman, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of State.
  John Christian Kornblum, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Federal 
Republic of Germany.
  David J. Scheffer, of Virginia, to be Ambassador at Large for War 
Crimes Issues.
Page S5021
Messages From the House:
  Page S5000
Measures Referred:
  Page S5000
Measures Placed on Calendar:
  Pages S5000-01
Communications:
  Page S5001
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S5001
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S5002-14
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S5015-17
Authority for Committees:
  Pages S5017-18
Additional Statements:
  Pages S5018-21
Record Votes: Seven record votes were taken today. (Total--85) 
                                        Pages S4937-38, S4949, S4985-88
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 9:20 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., on Friday, May 23, 1997. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S5021.)