[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 86 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 12, 
I appreciated being granted an excused absence due to a serious illness 
in my family. Due to that absence, I missed several rollcall votes.
  Had I not been unavoidably absent on June 11, I would have voted in 
the following manner pertaining to amendments to H.R. 1757, the Foreign 
Relations Authorization Act.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 201, an amendment to express the sense 
of Congress condemning the policy of Palestinian policy of imposing the 
death penalty for any Palestinian who sells land to a Jew.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 200, an amendment to prohibit funds made 
available under the Foreign Assistance Act for fiscal years 1998 and 
1999 for the Russian Federation if that country transfers an SS-N-22 
missile system to the People's Republic of China.
  ``Aye'' on Rollcall vote No. 199, an amendment to prohibit foreign 
assistance to any country that assists the Libyan Government in 
circumventing United Nations sanctions. On May 8, Muammar Qadhafi 
defined the United Nation ban and flew to two neighbors countries.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 198, an amendment expressing the sense 
of Congress that Romania should be considered eligible for assistance 
under the provisions of the NATO Participation Act of 1984.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 197, an amendment expressing the sense 
of Congress that the United States Government should not prohibit the 
importation, sale, or distribution of Cuban cigars in the United 
States, or cigars that are the product of Cuba, at such time as the 
Government of Cuba has (1) freed all political prisoners, (2) legalized 
all political activity, and (3) agreed to hold free and fair elections.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 196, an amendment to express the sense 
of Congress that the militant organization Al-Faran should (1) release 
Donald Hutchings and four western Europeans from captivity; (2) cease 
and desist from all acts of hostage-taking and other violent acts 
within the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 195, an amendment to require the 
President to impose financial transaction restrictions on the 
Government of Sudan and to express that it is the sense of Congress 
that the religious persecution and support of terrorism by the 
Government of Sudan is unacceptable.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 194, an amendment to restrict assistance 
to foreign organizations that perform or actively promote abortions and 
prohibiting the use of any funds authorized in the bill to be made 
available for the United Nations Population Fund in any fiscal year 
unless the President certifies that UNFPA has terminated all activities 
in the People's Republic of China, and during the 12 months preceding 
such certification there have been no abortions as the result of 
coercion associated with the family planning policies of the national 
government or other governmental entities.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 193, an amendment to prohibit payment of 
U.S. arrearages to the U.N. until the U.N. complies with requirements 
that U.N. employees comply with child and spousal support orders issued 
by the U.S. courts.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 192, an amendment expressing the sense 
of Congress that the government of the Ukraine should be commended for 
their decision to relinquish the nuclear weapons in its possession 
after the demise of the Soviet Union, for declining to participate in 
the construction of nuclear reactors in Iran, and for taking a positive 
and cooperative position with regard to admission into NATO.
  ``No'' on rollcall vote No. 191, an amendment requiring the Secretary 
of State to report to Congress every 3 months listing all complaints by 
the Government of Cuba to departments and agencies of the United States 
concerning actions taken by U.S. citizens or the U.S. Government.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 190, an amendment to require the 
President to report to Congress on any border closures or the use of an 
economic or commercial blockade by or against any of the new 
independent states of the former Soviet Union against any other 
country.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 189, an en bloc amendment consisting of 
several amendments: (1) expressing the sense of Congress that Peru 
should respect the rights of prisoners to timely legal procedures; (2) 
directing the State Department to monitor human rights progress in 
Ethiopia; (3) establishing special envoys to promote mutual 
disarmament; (4) expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should 
reconsider its proposed deal to transfer low-level nuclear waste to 
North Korea; (5) expressing the sense of Congress that the 
administration should support the Prime Minister of India in 
strengthening ties with the United States and that the President and 
Secretary of State should call on the President of Belarussia to defend 
and protect the sovereignty of Belarussia, (6) authorizing a 
congressional statement in support of Taiwan's efforts to be admitted 
to the World Trade Organization; (7) requiring the State Department to 
report to Congress on allegations of persecution of Hmong and Laotian 
refugees repatriated to Laos; (8) instituting ``buy American'' 
requirements; and (9) calling for the withholding of assistance to 
countries that provide nuclear fuel to Cuba.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 188, an amendment to prohibit funding 
for UNESCO World Heritage and Man and Biosphere programs.
  ``No'' on rollcall vote No. 187, an amendment to strike the bill's 
provisions which establish new responsibilities for the office of 
inspector general at the State Department.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 186, an en bloc amendment consisting of 
several provisions: (1) allow non-Foreign Service Government employees 
to perform consular functions; (2) specify qualifications for the 
position of Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security; (3) change the 
authorized strength of the Foreign Service; (4) change the provisions 
of the bill concerning return of persons to countries where they may be 
subject to torture; and (5) a technical amendment regarding the 
ecumenical patriarchate in Istanbul, Turkey.

  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 185, an amendment to require the State 
Department to report to Congress by March 1 of each year a listing of 
overseas U.S. surplus properties for sale and require the amounts 
received from such sales to be used for deficit reduction.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 184, an amendment to require the State 
Department to maintain records on each incident in which an individual 
with diplomatic immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of the United 
States under the Vienna Convention committed a serious criminal offense 
within the United States.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 183, an amendment to end funds for 
continued TV Marti broadcasts to Cuba at the end of the current fiscal 
year if the President certifies that continued funding is not in the 
national interest of the United States.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 182, an amendment to express the sense 
of the Congress that the United States broadcasting through Radio Free 
Asia and Voice of America increase to continuous, 24-hour broadcasting 
in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and that broadcasting in additional 
Chinese dialects be increased.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 181, an amendment, consisting of several 
amendments offered en bloc to strike the provisions of the bill 
allowing the State Department to retain for operating expenses up to 
$500 million in immigration, passport, and other fees. The amendment 
would raise authorized funding levels in the bill to compensate for the 
loss in operation funding.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 180, an amendment to modify the bill's 
provisions to consolidate certain foreign affairs agencies into the 
State Department.
  ``No'' on rollcall vote No. 179, an amendment to reduce the 
authorized spending levels in the bill for fiscal year 1998 and fiscal 
year 1999 to the amount appropriated in fiscal year 1997.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 178, an amendment to prohibit funds made 
available under the Foreign Assistance Act for fiscal years 1998 and 
1999 for the Russian Federation if that country transfers an SS-N-22 
missile system to the People's Republic of China.
  Had I not been unavoidably absent on June 12, I would have voted:
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 203, making emergency supplemental 
appropriations for recovery from natural disasters, and for overseas 
peacekeeping efforts, including those in Bosnia, for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 1997.
  ``Aye'' on rollcall vote No. 202, proposing an amendment to the 
Constitution of the United States authorizing the Congress to prohibit 
the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.

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