[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 9, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D916-D918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                         Tuesday, September 9, 1997

[[Page D916]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S8937-S9031
Measures Introduced: Four bills and two resolutions were introduced, as 
follows: S. 1154-1157, and S. Res. 119-120.
  Page S9018
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 1156, making appropriations for the government of the District of 
Columbia and other activities chargeable in whole or in part against 
the revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1998, and for other purposes. (S. Rept. No. 105-75).
Page S9018
Measures Passed:
  Recognition of Mother Teresa: By a unanimous vote of 98 yeas (Vote 
No. 222), Senate agreed to S. Res. 120, expressing the Sense of the 
Senate on the occasion of the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and 
designating September 13, 1997 as a National Day of Recognition for the 
humanitarian efforts of Mother Teresa.
  Pages S8952-58
  SBA Authorization: Senate passed S. 1139, to reauthorize the programs 
of the Small Business Administration, after agreeing to the following 
amendment proposed thereto:
  Pages S8971-89
  Bond/Kerry Amendment No. 1124, to provide certain technical 
assistance to the Small Business Administration, and to define bundled 
contract.
Pages S8971-77
  Conferring Veteran Status to Bob Hope: Senate passed H.J. Res. 75, to 
confer status as an honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces 
on Leslie Townes (Bob) Hope, clearing the measure for the President. 
                                                             Page S9030
Labor/HHS Appropriations, 1998: Senate resumed consideration of S. 
1061, making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and 
Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 1998, taking action on amendments proposed 
thereto, as follows:
  Pages S8945-52, S8958-71, S8989-S9013
Adopted:
  Durbin Amendment No. 1085, to provide for the conduct of a study 
concerning efforts to improve organ and tissue procurement at 
hospitals, and require a report to Congress on the study. 
                                                  Pages S8945, S8961-62
  Durbin (for Levin) Amendment No. 1086, to express the sense of the 
Senate that hospitals that have significant donor potential shall take 
reasonable steps to assure a skilled and sensitive request for organ 
donation to eligible families.
Pages S8945, S8961-63
  McCain/Kerry Amendment No. 1092, to ensure that payments to certain 
persons captured and interned by North Vietnam are not considered 
income or resources in determining eligibility for, or the amount of 
benefits under, a program or State plan under title XVI or XIX of the 
Social Security Act.
Pages S8945, S8961
  Craig/Bingaman Amendment No. 1093, to amend the Fair Labor Standards 
Act of 1938 to adjust the maximum hour exemption for agricultural 
employees.
Pages S8945, S8961, S8963-64
  Specter (for Nickles) Amendment No. 1109, to require that estimates 
of certain employer contributions be included in an individual's Social 
Security account statement.
Pages S8945, S8961, S8963
  Murray Amendment No. 1119, to provide funding for the National 
Institute for Literacy.
Pages S8946, S8961
  Harkin (for Bennett) Amendment No. 1120, to award a grant to a State 
educational agency to help pay the expenses associated with exchanging 
State school trust lands within the boundaries of a national monument 
for Federal lands outside the boundaries of the monument. 
                                           Pages S8946, S8961, S8964-65
  Ford (for Kerrey) Amendment No. 1121, to exempt States that were 
overpaid mandatory funds for fiscal year 1997 under the general 
entitlement formula for child care funding from any payment adjustment.
                                                     Pages S8946, S8961
  Specter Amendment No. 1111, to provide start-up funding for the 
National Bi-partisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. 
                                                     Pages S8945, S8965

[[Page D917]]


  Harkin Amendment No. 1123 (to Amendment No. 1111), to assure the 
Medicare Commission examines the role of medical research and long-term 
care in the future of Medicare.
                                                             Page S8965
  Ford Amendment No. 1117 (to Amendment No. 1078), to express the sense 
of the Senate on compensation for tobacco growers as part of 
legislation on the national tobacco settlement.
                                                  Pages S8946, S9001-02
  Landrieu Modified Amendment No. 1095, to increase funds to promote 
adoption opportunities.
                                                     Pages S8945, S9011
                                                             Withdrawn:
  Gorton Modified Amendment No. 1076, to allow States to use funds 
received under title XXI of the Social Security Act to provide health 
insurance coverage for children with incomes above the minimum medicaid 
eligibility requirements.
                                        Pages S8946, S8951-52, S8990-93
  Harkin (for Wellstone) Amendment No. 1088, to increase funding for 
Federal Pell Grants.
                                                             Page S8945
  Harkin (for Wellstone) Amendment No. 1089, to increase funding for 
the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994.
                                                             Page S8945
                                                               Pending:
  Gregg Amendment No. 1070, to prohibit the use of funds for national 
testing in reading and mathematics, with certain exceptions. 
                                                             Page S8945
  Coats/Gregg Amendment No. 1071 (to Amendment No. 1070), to prohibit 
the development, planning, implementation, or administration of any 
national testing program in reading or mathematics unless the program 
is specifically authorized by Federal statute.
                                                             Page S8971
  Nickles/Jeffords Amendment No. 1081, to limit the use of taxpayer 
funds for any future International Brotherhood of Teamsters leadership 
election.
                                                             Page S8945
  Craig/Jeffords Amendment No. 1083 (to Amendment No. 1081), in the 
nature of a substitute.
                                                             Page S8945
  Durbin/Collins Amendment No. 1078, to repeal the tobacco industry 
settlement credit contained in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. 
                                                  Pages S8945, S8995-98
  Mack/Graham Amendment No. 1090, to increase the appropriations for 
the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial Fine Arts Center.
                                                             Page S8945
  Coverdell Amendment No. 1097, to enhance food safety for children 
through preventative research and medical treatment.
                                                             Page S8945
  Coverdell Amendment No. 1098 (to Amendment No. 1097), in the nature 
of a substitute.
                                                             Page S8945
  Specter Amendment No. 1110, to reduce unemployment insurance service 
administrative expenses to offset costs of administering a welfare-to-
work jobs initiative.
                                                             Page S8945
  Harkin (for Wellstone) Amendment No. 1087, to increase funding for 
the Head Start Act.
                                                             Page S8945
  Harkin/Bingaman/Kennedy Amendment No. 1115, to authorize the National 
Assessment Governing Board to develop policy for voluntary national 
tests in reading and mathematics.
                                                             Page S8945
  Harkin (for Daschle) Amendment No. 1116, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding Federal Pell Grants and a child literacy initiative. 
                                                             Page S8946
  Murray/Wellstone Amendment No. 1118, to clarify the family violence 
option under temporary assistance to needy families program. 
                                                             Page S8946
  Domenici (for Gorton) Modified Amendment No. 1122, to provide certain 
education funding directly to local educational agencies. 
                                               Pages S8946-50, S9012-13
  Sessions Modified Amendment No. 1125 (to Amendment No. 1078), to 
provide for certain limitations on attorneys' fees under any global 
tobacco settlement and for increased funding for children's health 
research.
                                                         Pages S9002-12
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 45 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 223), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected a motion to waive section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act 
with respect to consideration of McCain/Gramm Amendment No. 1091, to 
eliminate Medicare incentive payments under plans for voluntary 
reduction in the number of residents. Subsequently, a point of order 
that the amendment was in violation of the Congressional Budget Act was 
sustained, and the amendment thus fell. 
                       Pages S8945, S8950-51, S8958-61, S8965-71, S8999
  Senate will continue consideration of the bill on Wednesday, 
September 10, 1997.
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations: Robert 
H. Beatty, Jr., of West Virginia, to be a Member of the Federal Mine 
Safety and Health Review Commission for the remainder of the term 
expiring August 30, 1998.
  Edward M. Gabriel, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to 
the Kingdom of Morocco.
  Ernesta Ballard, of Alaska, to be a Governor of the United States 
Postal Service for a term expiring December 8, 2005.
  Robin Lynn Raphel, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Tunisia.
                                                         Pages S9030-31
Nomination Withdrawn: Senate received notification of the withdrawal of 
the following nomination:
  Patricia M. McMahon, of New Hampshire, to be Deputy Director for 
Demand Reduction, Office of

[[Page D918]]

National Drug Control Policy, which was sent to the Senate on January 
9, 1997.
                                                             Page S9031
Messages From the House:
  Page S9016
Measures Referred:
  Page S9016
Communications:
  Pages S9016-17
Petitions:
  Pages S9017-18
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Page S9018
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S9019-20
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S9023-25
Notices of Hearings:
  Page S9025
Authority for Committees:
  Page S9025
Additional Statements:
  Pages S9025-30
Record Votes: Two record votes were taken today. (Total-223) 
                                                     Pages S8958, S8999
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 8:20 p.m., 
until 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, September 10, 1997. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S9030.)