[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 24, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9877-S9878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.


                           amendment no. 1250

  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent when the 
Senate resumes the Wyden amendment No. 1250, there be 20 minutes 
equally divided remaining, and following the conclusion or yielding 
back of time, the amendment be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider 
be laid upon the table, all without further action or debate.
  Mr. WYDEN. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon is recognized.
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, I do not intend to object. I have had a 
chance to discuss this with the majority leader who has been gracious 
in offering me his time on this matter.
  I ask only that the further discussion of this amendment take place 
at a time when the majority leader could be on the floor and he and I 
could discuss this briefly. I believe the proposals he has made with 
respect to holds are constructive. This proposal goes one step further, 
to have public disclosure of holds.
  I ask only that the majority leader, at a time convenient with his 
schedule, be allowed to participate in that 20-minute discussion so he 
and I could briefly discuss that.
  With that, I have no objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further objection? If not, without 
objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I must applaud the actions of the 
chairman of the D.C. Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Faircloth, 
for his restraint in putting together this bill.
  The bill is the first step in implementing the National Capital 
Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act that Congress passed 
this summer. This bill provides the funding necessary to carry out that 
act, and includes several provisions that will ensure fiscal 
responsibility and adherence to the act.
  In reviewing this bill, I have found only one section in the report 
language that causes some concern. On page 31 of the report, the 
following language appears:

       The Committee is aware of the need for an adult and 
     pediatric heart transplant program at a not-for-profit 
     academic medical center servicing this Nation's Capital. The 
     D.C. metropolitan area is the only major metropolitan area 
     that does not have an academic medical center with a heart 
     transplant program. Since this not-for-profit medical center 
     has recently enhanced its capabilities by the additional of a 
     nationally and internationally renowned cardiovascular 
     surgeon and a nationally known pediatric cardiologist, the 
     Committee strongly recommends that the State health planning 
     and development agency approve the certificate of need 
     application for a nonprofit academic medical center in the 
     District of Columbia that has an approved lung transplant 
     program.

  I am sure my colleagues are aware of the likely result of this type 
of language in an Appropriations Committee report. Although not bound 
to do so, I would expect that the State health planning and development 
agency will feel pressured to approve the application of this academic 
facility. Although that may not be an inappropriate decision, I 
continue to believe it is inappropriate for Congress to direct these 
types of decisions on a case-by-case basis, rather than assessing the 
broader requirements for health facilities in the District of Columbia. 
I would hope the committee would see fit to withdraw this near-
directive and allow the agency to make decisions based on the criteria 
it has developed for all such matters.
  Again, this bill is free of the types of earmarks that we have seen 
in virtually every other appropriations measure to come before the 
Senate this year.
  As the last appropriations measure to come before the Senate for 
debate, perhaps this is a welcome sign of things to come as we turn to 
the appropriations conference reports.
  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


            Unanimous-Consent Agreement--Amendment No. 1249

  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Mr. President, on behalf of the leader, I ask 
unanimous consent that debate on amendment No. 1249 begin at 12 noon on 
Thursday and the time between noon and 5 p.m. be equally divided in the 
usual form. I further ask that at 5 p.m. the amendment

[[Page S9878]]

be laid aside until Tuesday, September 30, and a cloture vote occur on 
the amendment at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, September 30, with the mandatory 
quorum under rule XXII being waived, and the time between 10 a.m. and 
11 a.m. on Tuesday be equally divided between Senators Coats and 
Kennedy. I further ask that no second-degree amendments be in order to 
amendment No. 1249 prior to the cloture vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                             cloture motion

  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under 
rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

  We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of 
rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, hereby move to bring to 
a close debate on the pending Coats amendment numbered 1249 to S. 1156:
         Senators Trent Lott, Dan Coats, Richard Shelby, Mitch 
           McConnell, Connie Mack, Lauch Faircloth, James Inhofe, 
           Alfonse D'Amato, Rod Grams, John Warner, Pat Roberts, 
           Chuck Hagel, Ted Stevens, John McCain, Susan Collins, 
           and Sam Brownback.

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