[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 33 (Monday, March 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S2401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S2401]]
    SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR NATURAL DISASTERS AND OVERSEAS 
               PEACEKEEPING EFFORTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1998

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I might state for the Record, it sort 
of proves my point. I yielded time on the appropriations bill for 5 
minutes, and here we are 2 hours later. I do hope that Members will 
understand if we are not very cooperative any further on this bill. 
Further, however, I might say to the Senator from Georgia, who was 
yielded specific time so he could have time comparable to that used by 
the Senators from Massachusetts and Connecticut--and I understand he 
only had 5 minutes of that 25, 26 minutes--he is not included in the 
prohibition against having some time on this bill when I manage it, as 
far as I am concerned.
  Madam President, I have a series of amendments. I would like to 
proceed with them.
  I do have one of them that is cleared already. It is an amendment to 
the pending supplemental appropriations bill.


                           Amendment No. 2067

 (Purpose: To prohibit the Department of the Army from moving forward 
     with civilian personnel reductions and the offer of Voluntary 
    Separations Incentive Pay (VSIP) and Voluntary Early Retirement 
 Authority (VERA) benefits at all Army Test Ranges until such time as 
the Congress has the opportunity to consider the merits of such actions 
during the Fiscal Year 1999 Appropriations process; and to require that 
the VERA and VSIP benefits being currently offered will continue to be 
                        available if necessary)

  Mr. STEVENS. I send the amendment to the desk on behalf of the two 
Senators from New Mexico, Senators Domenici and Bingaman, and ask for 
its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Alaska [Mr. Stevens], for Mr. Domenici, 
     for himself, and Mr. Bingaman, proposes an amendment numbered 
     2067.

  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 15, after line 21, insert:
       Sec.   . Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
     Department of the Army is hereby prohibited from moving 
     forward with civilian personnel reductions at all Army Test 
     Ranges resulting from proposed reductions in their fiscal 
     year 1999 budget, until such time as the Congress has the 
     opportunity to consider the merits of such action during the 
     fiscal year 1999 defense appropriations process. Where 
     civilian personnel are concerned, the Army is required to 
     offer such Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay (VSIP) and 
     Voluntary Early Retirement Authority benefits as are 
     currently being offered, should such benefits be necessary at 
     a future date.

  Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, my amendment does not increase the 
cost of the emergency supplemental in any way.
  What it does is it freezes in place the current posture of civilian 
personnel authorizations at all Army Test Ranges, including White Sands 
Missile Range until such time as the Congress, and this Committee, has 
an opportunity to consider the merits of the President's fiscal year 
1999 budget as it relates to this installation.
  It is a very simple, straight forward amendment, and it is necessary 
for me to proceed in this way at this time because the Department of 
the Army has chosen to circumvent the congressional oversight process. 
Let me tell you how:
  Because of budgetary constraints, the Department of the Army made a 
distributional decision that would reduce White Sands Missile Range's 
WSMR's, overall RDT&E budget by approximately $17 million in fiscal 
year 1999. As a result, WSMR was asked to plan for a reduction of as 
many as 550 full-time civilian positions.
  Subsequently, in late December 1997, the Army agreed to provide 
approximately $11 million to WSMR for the purpose of offering Voluntary 
Early Retirement Authority, VERA, and Voluntary Separation Incentive 
Pay, VSIP, benefits. This ameliorated some of the civilian personnel 
reductions that are scheduled to take place in fiscal year 1999. With 
the VERA and VSIP benefits, the Army's plan for WSMR is to reduce 
approximately 350 civilian personnel.
  I do not believe it is prudent for the Army to be reducing civilian 
personnel authorizations at WSMR until such time as the Congress has an 
opportunity to consider the merits of such actions during the fiscal 
year 1999 defense appropriations process. Unfortunately, the Army has 
directed WSMR to open the window of opportunity for retirement benefits 
from now until March 31, 1998.
  This action effectively precludes the Congress from exercising any 
oversight responsibility of the Department of Defense decisions in this 
regard. Once civilian personnel at WSMR elect to take the benefits, 
those civilian personnel positions are essentially eliminated.
  In addition, if the Army does not find enough personnel who are 
willing to take the benefits, a Reduction In Force, RIF, will have to 
occur and its timing will be such that the Congress will have little or 
no ability to address these issues.
  Finally, what should cause great concern to every member who is 
interested in Congressional oversight, the Army is using fiscal year 
1998 funds to implement reductions that are planned to occur in fiscal 
year 1999. This circumvents the Congressional oversight process.
  Again, my amendment prohibits the Department of the Army from 
continuing to move forward with any civilian personnel reductions at 
WSMR until such time as the Congress has the opportunity to consider 
the merits of such action during the fiscal year 1999 Defense 
Appropriations process. In addition, the bill language requires the 
Department of the Army to offer such VERA and VSIP benefits as are 
currently being offered should such benefits be necessary at a future 
date.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the amendment is 
agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 2067) was agreed to.
  Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was 
agreed to, and I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, the Senator from Georgia is still here, 
and we are waiting for the beginning of the time on the McCain 
amendment. I yield him 5 minutes at this time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Alaska.

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