[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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