[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D924-D926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                      Wednesday, September 10, 1997

[[Page D924]]

                              Daily Digest

                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S9033-S9096
Measures Introduced: Four bills and one resolution were introduced, as 
follows: S. 1158-1161, and S. Res. 121.
  Page S9080
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 1026, to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 105-76)
  Special Report entitled ``Further Revised Allocation to Subcommittees 
of Budget Totals from the Concurrent Resolution for Fiscal Year 1998''. 
(S. Rept. No. 105-77)
Page S9080
Measures Passed:
  National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week: Committee 
on the Judiciary was discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
111, designating the week beginning September 14, 1997, as ``National 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week'', and the resolution 
was then agreed to, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed 
thereto:
  Page S9091
  Gorton (for Thurmond) Amendment No. 1128, designating the week 
beginning September 21, 1997 as ``National Historically Black Colleges 
and Universities Week''.
Page S9091
  Refugee Assistance: Senate passed S. 1161, to amend the Immigration 
and Nationality Act to authorize appropriations for refugee and entrant 
assistance for fiscal years 1998 and 1999.
  Page S9091
  National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act: Senate passed H.R. 
1420, to amend the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act 
of 1996 to improve the management of the National Wildlife Refuge 
System, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto: 
                                                         Pages S9092-96
  Gorton (for Chafee) Amendment No. 1129, to clarify that uses can be 
both wildlife-dependent and other uses, to require that the Secretary 
provide for monitoring of the status and trends of fish, wildlife and 
plants on refuges, and to clarify the intent regarding the periodic 
reevaluation of longterm secondary uses, such as electric utility 
rights-of-way.
Pages S9092-96
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 S9033-59, S9062-78
Adopted:
  By 95 yeas to 3 nays (Vote No. 227), Durbin/Collins Amendment No. 
1078, to repeal the tobacco industry settlement credit contained in the 
Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
Pages S9033, S9049-51, S9053
  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. (By 48 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 224), Senate earlier failed 
to table the amendment.)
Pages S9034-43
  Wellstone Amendment No. 1126 (to Amendment No. 1078), to establish 
that nothing in this Act may be construed to interfere with any 
agreement previously entered into between any State and any private 
attorney with respect to litigation involving tobacco. (By 48 yeas to 
50 nays (Vote No. 225), Senate earlier failed to table the amendment.) 
                                                         Pages S9044-48
  By 97 yeas to 1 nay (Vote No. 226), Durbin Amendment No. 1127 (to 
Amendment No. 1078), to express the sense of the Senate that attorneys' 
fees paid in connection with an action maintained by a State against 
one or more tobacco companies to recover tobacco-related costs affected 
by federal tobacco settlement legislation should be publicly disclosed 
and should not displace spending in the settlement legislation intended 
for public health.
Pages S9047-49
  By 98 yeas to 1 nay (Vote No. 228), Murray/Wellstone Amendment No. 
1118, to clarify the family violence option under temporary assistance 
to needy families program.
Pages S9034, S9051-53, S9062-63

[[Page D925]]


  Coverdell Amendment No. 1097, to enhance food safety for children 
through preventative research and medical treatment. 
                                                     Pages S9034, S9064
  By 91 yeas to 8 nays (Vote No. 230), Coverdell Amendment No. 1098 (to 
Amendment No. 1097), in the nature of a substitute. 
                                        Pages S9034, S9058-59, S9063-74
  By 96 yeas to 3 nays (Vote No. 231), Harkin (for Daschle) Modified 
Amendment No. 1116, to express the sense of the Senate regarding 
Federal Pell Grants and a child literacy initiative. 
                                           Pages S9034, S9058, S9064-66
  Specter Modified Amendment No. 1110, to reduce unemployment insurance 
service administrative expenses to offset costs of administering a 
welfare-to-work jobs initiative.
Pages S9034, S9078
Withdrawn:
  Mack/Graham Amendment No. 1090, to increase the appropriations for 
the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial Fine Arts Center.
Pages S9033, S9078
Pending:
  Gregg Amendment No. 1070, to prohibit the use of funds for national 
testing in reading and mathematics, with certain exceptions. 
                                                             Page S9033
  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 S9033
  Nickles/Jeffords Amendment No. 1081, to limit the use of taxpayer 
funds for any future International Brotherhood of Teamsters leadership 
election.
Page S9033
  Craig/Jeffords Amendment No. 1083 (to Amendment No. 1081), in the 
nature of a substitute.
Page S9033
  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 S9034
  Domenici (for Gorton) Modified Amendment No. 1122, to provide certain 
education funding directly to local educational agencies. 
                                                  Pages S9034, S9066-78
  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. 
                          See Congressional Record of September 9, 1997
  By 27 yeas to 72 nays (Vote No. 229), 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 Harkin (for Wellstone) Modified Amendment No. 1087, to 
increase funding for the Head Start Act. Subsequently, a point of order 
that the amendment was in violation of section 306 of the Congressional 
Budget Act was sustained, and the amendment thus fell. 
                                           Pages S9034, S9053-58, S9063
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill and amendments pending thereto on Thursday, 
September 11, 1997.
FDA Administration Modernization and Accountability Act--Agreement: A 
unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for the consideration 
of S. 830, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the 
Public Health Service Act to improve the regulation of food, drugs, 
devices, and biological products, on Thursday, September 11, 1997. 
                                                             Page S9072
Appointments:
   Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group: The Chair, on behalf of the 
Vice President, pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 276d-276g, as amended, appointed 
the following Senators as members of the Senate Delegation to the 
Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group during the First Session of the 
105th Congress, to be held in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, 
Canada, September 11-15, 1997: Senators Murray (Vice Chair), Sarbanes, 
and Akaka.
  Page S9078
Messages From the President: Senate received the following messages 
from the President of the United States:
  Transmitting a report relative to telecommunications services; 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (PM-64).
Page S9079
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Robert M. Walker, of Tennessee, to be Under Secretary of the Army. 
                                                             Page S9096
Messages From the President:
  Page S9079
Measures Referred:
  Page S9079
Communications:
  Pages S9079-80
Petitions:
  Page S9080
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S9080
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S9080-85
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S9085-87

[[Page D926]]

Amendments Submitted:
  Page S9088
Notices of Hearings:
  Page S9088
Authority for Committees:
  Page S9088
Additional Statements:
  Pages S9088-91
Record Votes: Eight record votes were taken today. (Total--231) 
                                 Pages S9043, S9048-50, S9062-64, S9066
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 8:31 p.m., 
until 9 a.m., Thursday, September 11, 1997. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S9096.)