[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 92 (Thursday, June 26, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D683-D686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                            Thursday, June 26, 1997

[[Page D683]]

                              Daily Digest


Highlights

      House passed H.R. 2014, Taxpayer Relief Act.
      House stands adjourned until Tuesday, July 8 for the Independence 
      Day District Work Period.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S6393-S6667
Measures Introduced: Eleven bills were introduced, as follows: S. 964-
974.                                                         
  Page S6496
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 231, to establish the National Cave and Karst Research Institute 
in the State of New Mexico. (S. Rept. No. 105-37)
  S. 423, to extend the legislative authority for the Board of Regents 
of Gunston Hall to establish a memorial to honor George Mason. (S. 
Rept. No. 105-38)
  S. 669, to provide for the acquisition of the Plains Railroad Depot 
at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. (S. Rept. No. 105-39)
  S. 731, to extend the legislative authority for construction of the 
National Peace Garden Memorial. (S. Rept. No. 105-40)
  H.R. 173, to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services 
Act of 1949 to authorize donation of surplus Federal law enforcement 
canines to their handlers.
  H.R. 680, to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services 
Act of 1949 to authorize the transfer to States of surplus personal 
property for donation to nonprofit providers of necessaries to 
impoverished families and individuals.
  S. 307, to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act 
of 1949 to authorize the transfer to States of surplus personal 
property for donation to nonprofit providers of assistance to 
impoverished families and individuals.
  S. 833, to designate the Federal building courthouse at Public Square 
and Superior Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, as the ``Howard M. Metzenbaum 
United States Courthouse''.
  S. 861, to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act 
of 1949 to authorize donation of Federal law enforcement canines that 
are no longer needed for official purposes to individuals with 
experience handling canines in the performance of law enforcement 
duties.                                                      
Page S6496
Measures Passed:
  Congressional Adjournment: Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 108, to 
provide for an adjournment of the House of Representatives and Senate. 
                                                             Page S6440
Revenue Reconciliation: Senate continued consideration of S. 949, to 
provide for revenue reconciliation pursuant to section 104(b) of the 
concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1998, taking action 
on amendments/motions proposed thereto, as follows: 
                                               Pages S6393-S6473, S6479
Adopted:
  Roth Amendment No. 520, to provide for children's health insurance 
initiatives.                                      
Pages S6394, S6434-37
  Roth (for Shelby) Amendment No. 553, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding reform of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
                                                         Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Levin/McCain) Amendment No. 556, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding tax treatment of stock options.     
Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Enzi) Amendment No. 557, to express the sense of the Senate 
on Federal estate tax relief in the ``Balanced Budget Act of 1997''. 
                                                         Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Dodd) Amendment No. 558, to amend the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 regarding the treatment of cancellation of student loans. 
                                                         Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Grams) Amendment No. 559, to exclude from unrelated 
business taxable income for certain charitable gambling. 
                                                         Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Dorgan) Amendment No. 560, to provide tax relief for 
taxpayers located in Presidentially declared disaster areas. 
                                                         Pages S6469-73

[[Page D684]]


  Roth (for Dorgan) Amendment No. 561, to authorize the Secretary of 
the Treasury to abate the accrual of interest on income tax 
underpayments by taxpayers located in Presidentially declared disaster 
areas if the Secretary extends the time for filing returns and payment 
of tax (and waives any penalties relating to the failure to so file or 
so pay) for such taxpayers.                              
                                                         Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Biden) Amendment No. 562, to provide survivor benefits 
attributable to service by a public safety officer who is killed in the 
line of duty.                                            
                                                         Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Dodd/D'Amato) Amendment No. 563, to clarify the tax 
treatment of certain disability benefits received by former police 
officers or firefighters.                                
Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Boxer) Amendment No. 564, to provide for diversification in 
section 401(k) plan investments.                         
Pages S6469-73
  Roth (for Daschle) Amendment No. 565, to expand non-Amtrak States' 
use of the Intercity Passenger Rail Fund.                
Pages S6469-73
Rejected:
  By 24 yeas to 75 nays (Vote No. 132), Dorgan Amendment No. 517, to 
impose a lifetime cap of $1,000,000 on capital gains reduction. 
                                                  Pages S6394, S6397-99
  By 38 yeas to 61 nays (Vote No. 134), Daschle Amendment No. 527, in 
the nature of a substitute.                              
Pages S6401-34
Withdrawn:
  Allard Amendment No. 523, to strike section 881, providing for an 
extension of the Temporary Federal Unemployment Surtax.
  Domenici/Lautenberg Amendment No. 537, to implement the enforcement 
provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Agreement, enforce the Balanced 
Budget Act of 1997, extend the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 through 
fiscal year 2002, and make technical and conforming changes to the 
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. 
                                                         Pages S6438-41
  Subsequently, Biden Amendment No. 539 (to Amendment No. 537), to 
provide for the transfer of funds from the general fund to the Violent 
Crime Reduction Trust Fund fell when Amendment No. 537 was withdrawn. 
                                                         Pages S6440-41
  Subsequently, the request to withdraw Amendment No. 537 (listed 
above) was vitiated, thus Amendment No. 539 (listed above) also remains 
pending.
  A motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act with respect to 
consideration of Section 602 of the bill. Subsequently, a point of 
order that section 602 relating to incentives conditioned on other 
District of Columbia government reform violates section 313(b)(1)(A) of 
the Congressional Budget Act was sustained, and the provisions were 
removed from the bill.                            
Pages S6393, S6447-48
Pending:
  Dorgan Amendment No. 515, to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury 
to abate the accrual of interest on income tax underpayments by 
taxpayers located in Presidentially declared disaster areas if the 
Secretary extends the time for filing returns failure to so file or so 
pay) for such taxpayers.                                     
Page S6393
  Dorgan Amendment No. 516, to provide tax relief for taxpayers located 
in Presidentially declared disaster areas.                   
Page S6393
  Jeffords Amendment No. 522, to provide for a trust fund for District 
of Columbia school renovations.                              
Page S6394
  Domenici/Lautenberg Amendment No. 537, to implement the enforcement 
provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Agreement, enforce the Balanced 
Budget Act of 1997, extend the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 through 
fiscal year 2002, and make technical and conforming changes to the 
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
  Biden Amendment No. 539 (to Amendment No. 537), to provide for the 
transfer of funds from the general fund to the Violent Crime Reduction 
Trust Fund.
  Nickles Modified Amendment No. 551, to provide for an increase in 
deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals, and 
to modify rules for allocating interest expense to tax-exempt interest.
                                                  Pages S6460-61, S6479
  Gramm Amendment No. 552, to allow families to decide for themselves 
how best to use their child tax credit.                  
Pages S6461-69
  Kerry Amendment No. 554, to allow payroll taxes to be included in the 
calculation of tax liability for receiving the children's tax credit. 
                                                             Page S6465
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 36 yeas to 63 nays (Vote 131), 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 Bumpers Amendment No. 518, to repeal the depletion 
allowance available to certain hardrock mining companies. 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.                                     
Pages S6394-97
  By 34 yeas to 64 nays (Vote No. 133), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected a motion to

[[Page D685]]

waive the Congressional Budget Act with respect to consideration of 
Dorgan motion to refer to the Committee on the Budget with 
instructions. Subsequently, a point of order that the motion to refer 
was in violation of section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act 
was sustained, and the motion was ruled out of order. 
                                               Pages S6393, S6399-S6401
  By 80 yeas to 19 nays (Vote No. 135), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, Senate agreed to 
waive the Congressional Budget Act with respect to consideration of 
Roth Amendment No. 520, listed above.                        
Page S6437
  By 12 yeas to 86 nays, 1 voting present (Vote No. 136), three-fifths 
of those Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the 
affirmative, Senate rejected a motion to waive section 305(b)(2) of the 
Congressional Budget Act with respect to consideration of Byrd 
Amendment No. 540, to eliminate tax deductions for advertising and 
promotion expenditures relating to alcoholic beverages and to increase 
funding for programs that educate and prevent the abuse of alcohol 
among our Nation's youth. Subsequently, a point of order that the 
amendment was not germane was sustained, and the amendment thus fell. 
                                                         Pages S6442-47
  By 41 yeas to 58 nays (Vote No. 137), 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 Durbin Amendment No. 519, to increase the deduction 
for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals, and to 
increase the excise tax on tobacco products. 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. 
                                                  Pages S6394, S6449-55
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill, the pending amendments, and amendments to be 
proposed thereto on Friday, June 27, 1997.                   
Page S6667
Removal of Injunction of Secrecy: The injunction of secrecy as removed 
from the following treaty:
  Convention with South Africa (Treaty Doc. 105-9).
  The treaty was transmitted to the Senate today, considered as having 
been read for the first time, and referred, with accompanying papers, 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed. 
                                                             Page S6667
Messages From the President: Senate received the following messages 
from the President of the United States:
  Transmitting the report concerning the national emergency with 
respect to Libya; referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs. (PM-48).                                      
Page S6494
  Transmitting the annual report of the Corporation for Public 
Broadcasting for fiscal year 1996; referred to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (PM-49).              
Page S6494
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Jerome B. Friedman, of Virginia, to be United States District Judge 
for the Eastern District of Virginia.
  Ronnie L. White, of Missouri, to be United States District Judge for 
the Eastern District of Missouri.
  Robert G. Stanton, of Virginia, to be Director of the National Park 
Service.
  W. Scott Gould, of the District of Columbia, to be Chief Financial 
Officer, Department of Commerce.
  W. Scott Gould, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant 
Secretary of Commerce.
  Catherine E. Woteki, of the District of Columbia, to be Under 
Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety.
  Kneeland C. Youngblood, of Texas, to be a Member of the Board of 
Directors of the United States Enrichment Corporation for a term 
expiring February 24, 2002.
  Wendy Ruth Sherman, of Maryland, to be Counselor of the Department of 
State, and to have the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service.
  Gordon D. Giffin, of Georgia, to be Ambassador to Canada.
  Maura Harty, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Paraguay.
  Curtis Warren Kamman, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador 
to the Republic of Colombia.
  James F. Mack, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Co-operative 
Republic of Guyana.
  Anne Marie Sigmund, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to 
the Kyrgyz Republic.
  Keith C. Smith, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Lithuania.
  Daniel V. Speckhard, of Wisconsin, to be Ambassador to the Republic 
of Belarus.
  George Donohue, of Maryland, to be Deputy Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration.
  Gary Gensler, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of the 
Treasury.
  Nancy Killefer, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of the 
Treasury.
  Nancy Killefer, of Florida, to be Chief Financial Officer, Department 
of the Treasury.
  George Munoz, of Illinois, to be President of the Overseas Private 
Investment Corporation.                                      
Page S6667

[[Page D686]]

Messages From the President:                             
  Pages S6493-94
Messages From the House:                                     
  Page S6494
Communications:                                          
  Pages S6495-96
Executive Reports of Committees:                             
  Page S6496
Statements on Introduced Bills:                       
  Pages S6496-S6508
Additional Cosponsors:                                       
  Page S6508
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S6508-53
Notices of Hearings:                                         
  Page S6553
Authority for Committees:                                
  Pages S6553-54
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S6554-57
Text of H.R. 2015 as Previously Passed:               
  Pages S6557-S6666
Record Votes: Seven record votes were taken today. (Total-137) 
               Pages S6396-97, S6399, S6401, S6434, S6437, S6447, S6455
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 11:22 p.m., 
until 9 a.m., on Friday, June 27, 1997. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S6667.)