[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 40 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D343-D347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                           Wednesday, April 1, 1998

[[Page D343]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      See Resume of Congressional Activity.
      The House passed H.R. 2400, Building Efficient Surface 
      Transportation and Equity Act.
      The House passed H.R. 1151, Credit Union Membership Access Act.
      House Committees ordered reported 7 sundry measures.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S2879-S3022
Measures Introduced: Eleven bills and one resolution were introduced, 
as follows: S. 1894-S. 1904, and S.J. Res. 44.           
  Pages S2967-68
Measures Passed:
  Congressional Adjournment: Senate agreed to
H. Con. Res. 257, providing for an adjournment of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate.                              
  Page S2949
  Land Conveyance: Senate passed H.R. 1116, to provide for the 
conveyance of the reversionary interest of the United States in certain 
lands to the Clint Independent School District and the Fabens 
Independent School District, clearing the measure for the President. 
                                                             Page S3021
  Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Consent Act: 
Senate passed H.R. 629, to grant the consent of the Congress to the 
Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact, after taking action 
on amendment proposed thereto, as follows:               
  Pages S3015-19
Adopted:
  Domenici (for Snowe) Amendment No. 2276, in the nature of a 
substitute.                                              
Pages S3018-19
  Domenici (for Wellstone) Amendment No. 2277 (to Amendment No. 2276), 
to add certain conditions to the grant of consent to the compact. 
                                                         Pages S3018-19
  Domenici (for Wellstone) Amendment No. 2278 (to Amendment No. 2276), 
to add certain conditions to the grant of consent to the compact. 
                                                         Pages S3018-19
Congressional Budget: Senate resumed consideration of S. Con. Res. 86, 
setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government 
for fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 and revising the 
concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1998, taking action 
on amendments proposed thereto, as follows:           
  Pages S2879-S2964
Adopted:
  Kerrey Amendment No. 2214, to express the sense of the Senate on the 
need for long-term entitlement reforms.                  
Pages S2890-92
  Burns Amendment No. 2178, to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding the use of agricultural trade programs to promote the export 
of United States agricultural commodities and products.      
Page S2892
  By 51 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. 53), Kyl Amendment No. 2169, to 
express the sense of the Congress regarding freedom of health care 
choice for medicare seniors.                             
Pages S2893-95
  Lautenberg (for Johnson) Modified Amendment No. 2210, to express the 
sense of the Senate regarding repair and construction of Indian 
schools.                                                 
Pages S2909-14
  By 51 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 56), Domenici (for Roth) Amendment 
No. 2209, to express the sense of the Senate that the Committee on 
Finance shall consider and report a legislative proposal this year that 
would dedicate the Federal budget surplus to the establishment of a 
program of personal retirement accounts for working Americans. 
                                                         Pages S2917-29
  By a unanimous vote of 99 yeas (Vote No. 59), Domenici (for 
Faircloth) Amendment No. 2251, to express the sense of the Senate that 
the Congress should begin to phase out the marriage penalty this year. 
                                                  Pages S2944-45, S2950

[[Page D344]]


  Lautenberg (for Durbin/Chafee) Modified Amendment No. 2205, to 
express the sense of Congress regarding the right to affordable, high-
quality health care for seniors.                         
                                                         Pages S2961-62
  Domenici (for Burns/Baucus) Amendment No. 2275, to express the sense 
of the Congress regarding a permanent extension of income averaging for 
farmers.                                                     
                                                             Page S2962
                                                              Rejected:
  Conrad (for Moseley-Braun) Amendment No. 2175, to express the sense 
of the Senate regarding elementary and secondary school modernization 
and construction. (By 54 yeas to 46 nays (Vote No. 57), Senate tabled 
the amendment.)                   
                                  Pages S2898-S2905, S2914-17, S2948-49
                                                             Withdrawn:
  Lautenberg (for Wyden) Amendment No. 2203, to direct the 
Congressional Budget Office to calculate inflation swings or shortfalls 
in each function of the Government.               
                                                  Pages S2933, S2962-63
                                                               Pending:
  Allard Amendment No. 2170, to require the reduction of the deficit, a 
balanced Federal budget, and the repayment of the national debt. 
                                                         Pages S2955-58
  Conrad (for Boxer) Modified Amendment No. 2176, to increase Function 
500 discretionary budget authority and outlays to accommodate an 
initiative promoting after-school education and safety.      
                                                             Page S2879
  Brownback Amendment No. 2177, to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding economic growth, social security, and Government efficiency. 
                                                             Page S2879
  Smith (Oregon) Amendment No. 2179, to express the sense of the Senate 
on Social Security taxes.                                    
                                                             Page S2879
  Smith (Oregon) Amendment No. 2180, to express the sense of the Senate 
with respect to the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. 
                                                             Page S2879
  Smith (Oregon) Amendment No. 2181, to express the sense of the Senate 
concerning increases in the prices of tobacco products.      
                                                             Page S2882
  Kennedy Amendment No. 2183, to express the sense of the Senate 
concerning the enactment of a patient's bill of rights.      
                                                             Page S2879
  Kennedy Amendment No. 2184, to increase Function 500 discretionary 
budget authority and outlays to support innovative education reform 
efforts in urban and rural school districts.                 
                                                             Page S2879
  Kennedy Amendment No. 2185, to express the sense of the Congress 
regarding additional budget authority for the Equal Employment 
Opportunity Commission.                                      
                                                             Page S2879
  Wellstone Modified Amendment No. 2186, to provide a reserve fund to 
pay for increased Pell Grants by reducing or eliminating corporate 
welfare tax expenditures.                                    
                                                             Page S2879
  Wellstone/Moynihan Amendment No. 2187, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding a report of the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
evaluating the outcomes of welfare reform.                   
                                                             Page S2879
  Wellstone Modified Amendment No. 2188, to provide additional funds 
for medical care for veterans.                               
                                                             Page S2879
  Thurmond Amendment No. 2191, to clarify outlay levels for major 
functional categories.                                       
                                                             Page S2879
  Thurmond Amendment No. 2192, to clarify outlay levels for national 
defense.                                                     
                                                             Page S2879
  Lautenberg Amendment No. 2194, to express the sense of the Senate to 
ensure that the tobacco reserve fund in the resolution may be used to 
protect the public health.                                   
Page S2880
  Lautenberg Amendment No. 2195, to establish a deficit-neutral reserve 
fund for environmental and natural resources.            
Pages S2958-61
  Lautenberg (for Kohl/Reid) Modified Amendment No. 2204, to express 
the sense of the Senate regarding the establishment of a national 
background check system for long-term care workers.          
Page S2929
  Reid/Bryan Amendment No. 2206, to express the sense of the Senate 
that the landowner incentive program included in the Endangered Species 
Recovery Act should be financed from a dedicated source of funding and 
that public lands should not be sold to fund the landowner incentive 
program of the Endangered Species Recovery Act.              
Page S2880
  Domenici (for Hutchison) Amendment No. 2208, to express the sense of 
the Senate that any budget surplus should be dedicated to debt 
reduction or direct tax relief for hard-working American families. 
                                                             Page S2934
  Lautenberg (for Torricelli/Jeffords) Amendment No. 2212, to express 
the sense of the Senate on battlefield preservation.         
Page S2933
  Bond/Mikulski Modified Amendment No. 2213, to express the sense of 
the Senate that the Elderly Housing program shall be funded at not less 
than the fiscal year 1998 funding level.          
Pages S2887-90, S2961
  Kerrey Amendment No. 2215, to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding passage of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1997. 
                                                             Page S2892
  Murray Amendment No. 2216, to increase Function 500 discretionary 
budget authority and outlays to accommodate both Administration 
investments in education and the $2.5 billion increase assumed by the 
resolution for IDEA.                                     
Pages S2894-95
  Murray Amendment No. 2217, to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding the expansion of Medicare benefits.            
Pages S2894-95

[[Page D345]]


  Dorgan Modified Amendment No. 2218, to strike section 301 of the 
concurrent resolution, which expresses the sense of Congress regarding 
the sunset of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and replace it with a 
section expressing the sense of Congress that important tax incentives 
such as those for encouraging home ownership and charitable giving 
should be retained.                            
Pages S2896-97, S2951-55
  Dorgan Amendment No. 2219, to establish a reserve fund for health 
research at the National Institutes of Health, funded by receipts from 
tobacco legislation.                                     
Pages S2896-97
  Biden Amendment No. 2220, to permit the use of Federal tobacco funds 
to reimburse the Veterans Administration for the costs of treating 
smoking-related illnesses.                                   
Page S2897
  Kyl Amendment No. 2221, to express the sense of the Senate supporting 
a supermajority requirement for raising taxes.               
Page S2897
  Domenici (for Grams) Amendment No. 2222, to use any budget surplus to 
reduce payroll tax and establish personal retirement accounts for hard-
working Americans.                                           
Page S2934
  Bingaman/Lieberman Amendment No. 2223, to establish a deficit-neutral 
reserve fund for civilian research and development.      
Pages S2900-01
  Feingold Amendment No. 2224, to establish a disability reserve fund. 
                                                             Page S2909
  Domenici (for DeWine) Amendment No. 2225, to state the sense of the 
Senate regarding the quality of teachers.                    
Page S2909
  Lautenberg (for Rockefeller) Amendment No. 2226, to revise outlays 
and new budget authority for transportation (400) programs and 
allowances (920), and to strike those provisions with regard to outlays 
and new budget authority for programs of function 700, Veterans 
Benefits and Services.                         
Pages S2929-30, S2963-64
  Lautenberg (for Conrad) Amendment No. 2227, to ensure that the 
tobacco reserve fund in the resolution may be used to strengthen social 
security.                                                
Pages S2929-30
  Lautenberg (for Bumpers) Amendment No. 2228, to provide for funding 
to help the states comply with the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act by eliminating an unjustified tax loophole. 
                                                         Pages S2929-30
  Lautenberg (for Feinstein) Amendment No. 2229, to express the sense 
of the Senate on education goals.                        
Pages S2929-30
  Lautenberg (for Kerry) Amendment No. 2230, to ensure that tobacco 
reserve fund in the resolution protects public health.   
Pages S2929-30
  Lautenberg (for Wellstone) Amendment No. 2231, to express the sense 
of the Senate supporting additional funding for fiscal year 1999 for 
medical care for veterans.                               
Pages S2929-30
  Lautenberg (for Robb) Amendment No. 2232, to ensure that the tobacco 
reserve fund in the resolution protects tobacco farmers. 
                                                         Pages S2929-31
  Lautenberg (for Biden) Amendment No. 2233, to provide for the 
Senate's support for Federal, State and local law enforcement. 
                                                     Pages S2929, S2931
  Lautenberg (for Boxer) Amendment No. 2234, to expand the uses of the 
tobacco reserve fund to include funding for health research, including 
the National Institutes of Health.                   
Pages S2929, S2931
  Lautenberg (for Bingaman/Lieberman) Amendment No. 2235, to express 
the sense of the Senate regarding the analysis of civilian science and 
technology expenditures in the budget.               
Pages S2929, S2931
  Lautenberg (for Bingaman) Amendment No. 2236, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding long-term civilian science and technology budget 
trends.                                              
Pages S2929, S2931
  Lautenberg (for Kerrey) Amendment No. 2237, to express the sense of 
the Senate on long-term Federal budgeting and the repayment of the 
public debt.                                      
Pages S2929, S2931-32
  Lautenberg (for Moseley-Braun) Amendment No. 2238, to express the 
sense of the Senate regarding tax legislation that increases the 
complexity of any tax return.                        
Pages S2929, S2932
  Lautenberg (for Moseley-Braun) Amendment No. 2239, to express the 
sense of the Senate that the President should submit a generational 
study with the budget request.                       
Pages S2929, S2932
  Lautenberg (for Moseley-Braun) Amendment No. 2240, to express the 
sense of the Senate regarding the value of the social security system 
for future retirees.                                 
Pages S2929, S2932
  Lautenberg (for Durbin) Amendment No. 2241, to express the sense of 
Congress regarding the right to affordable, high-quality health care 
for seniors.                                         
Pages S2929, S2932
  Lautenberg (for Dorgan) Amendment No. 2242, to express the sense of 
the Senate on ensuring social security solvency. 
                                                  Pages S2929, S2932-33
  Lautenberg Amendment No. 2243, to express the sense of the Senate 
that the Congress and the Administration should fulfill the intent of 
the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 and appropriate 
sufficient funds in each of the next five years to enable Amtrak to 
implement its Strategic Business Plan, while preserving the integrity 
of the $2.2 billion provided under the Taxpayer Relief Act for the 
statutory purpose of capital investment.             
Pages S2929, S2933
  Lautenberg (for Daschle) Amendment No. 2244, in the nature of a 
substitute.                                          
Pages S2929, S2933

[[Page D346]]


  Lautenberg (for Torricelli) Amendment No. 2245, to express the sense 
of the Senate on battlefield preservation.           
Pages S2929, S2933
  Lautenberg (for Torricelli) Amendment No. 2246, to express the sense 
of the Senate on the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 
                                                     Pages S2929, S2933
  Lautenberg (for Moynihan) Amendment No. 2247, to express the sense of 
the Senate that the Committee on Finance should consider legislation to 
preserve social security and ensure its long-run solvency; and that no 
policy options, affecting either outlays, revenues, or the manner of 
investment of funds, should be excluded from consideration. 
                                                     Pages S2929, S2933
  Domenici (for Bond) Amendment No. 2248, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding Immigration and Naturalization Service circuit rides 
in the former Soviet Union.                                  
Page S2934
  Domenici (for Abraham) Amendment No. 2249, to express the sense of 
Congress that the Budget Act should be amended to facilitate the use of 
future unified budget surpluses to strengthen and reform social 
security, reform the tax code, and reduce the tax burden on middle-
class families.                                              
Page S2934
  Domenici (for Thurmond) Amendment No. 2250, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding long-term care needs.               
Pages S2934-35
  Domenici (for Sessions) Amendment No. 2252, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding the display of the Ten Commandments by a judge on 
the circuit court of the State of Alabama.                   
Page S2935
  Domenici (for Stevens) Amendment No. 2253, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding outlay estimates of the Department of Defense 
budget.                                                      
Page S2935
  Domenici (for Specter) Amendment No. 2254, to modify the use of the 
tobacco reserve fund.                                        
Page S2935
  Domenici (for Specter) Amendment No. 2255, to modify the tobacco 
reserve fund to allow up to $10.5 billion to be spent on post-service 
smoking related Veterans compensation benefits.              
Page S2935
  Domenici (for Specter) Amendment No. 2256, relating to the 
distribution of certain receipts from tobacco legislation.   
Page S2935
  Domenici (for Nickles) Amendment No. 2257, to establish a prohibition 
on precatory language on budget resolutions.             
Pages S2935-36
  Domenici (for Frist) Amendment No. 2258, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding funding for the Airport Improvement Program. 
                                                             Page S2936
  Domenici (for McConnell) Amendment No. 2259, to express the sense of 
the Congress that the award of attorneys' fees, costs, and sanctions of 
those amounts ordered by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth on 
December 18, 1997, should not be paid with taxpayer funds.   
Page S2936
  Domenici (for Sessions) Amendment No. 2260, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding limitations on attorneys' fees under any global 
tobacco settlement.                                          
Page S2936
  Domenici (for Craig) Amendment No. 2261, to express the sense of the 
Senate on the eligibility of individuals suffering from post-service 
smoking-related illnesses for VA compensation.               
Page S2936
  Domenici (for Coverdell) Amendment No. 2262, to express the sense of 
the Senate on the procurement of Blackhawk utility helicopters for 
Colombia to reduce illicit drug trafficking.             
Pages S2936-37
  Domenici (for Santorum) Amendment No. 2263, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding reauthorization of the Farmland Protection 
Program.                                                     
Page S2937
  Domenici (for Santorum) Amendment No. 2264, to express the sense of 
the Senate concerning health care quality for participants in the 
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.                   
Page S2937
  Domenici (for Kempthorne) Amendment No. 2265, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding the Market Access Program.          
Pages S2937-38
  Domenici (for Gramm) Amendment No. 2266, to extend the Violent Crime 
Reduction Trust Fund.                                
Pages S2934, S2938
  Domenici (for Coverdell) Amendment No. 2267, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding the Department of Justice's's pursuit of Medicare 
fraud and abuse.                                             
Page S2938
  Domenici (for Coverdell) Amendment No. 2268, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding national response to the threat of illegal drugs. 
                                                             Page S2938
  Domenici (for Coverdell) Amendment No. 2269, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding wasteful spending in Defense Department 
acquisition practices.                                       
Page S2938
  Domenici (for Coverdell/Kyl) Amendment No. 2270, to express the sense 
of the Senate regarding the United States' response to the changing 
nature of terrorism.                                     
Pages S2938-39
  Domenici (for Coverdell/Dodd) Amendment No. 2271, to express the 
sense of the Senate regarding a multinational alliance against drug 
trafficking.                                                 
Page S2939
  Domenici (for Mack) Amendment No. 2272, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding funding of the National Institutes of Health. 
                                                             Page S2939
  Domenici (for Hatch) Amendment No. 2273, to assume that the use of 
the tobacco reserve fund is consistent with tobacco legislation 
approved by the Senate.                                  
Pages S2939-40
  Domenici (for Sessions) Amendment No. 2274, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding limitations

[[Page D347]]

on attorneys' fees under any global tobacco settlement.      
Page S2940
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  Three-fifths of those Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted 
in the affirmative, Senate rejected motions to waive certain provisions 
of the Congressional Budget Act with respect to consideration of the 
following amendments:
  By 46 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 54), Conrad/Lautenberg/Bingaman/Reed 
Amendment No. 2174, to ensure that the tobacco reserve fund in the 
resolution protects public health.                       
Pages S2905-09
  By 38 yeas to 62 nays (Vote No. 55), Coverdell Amendment No. 2199, to 
provide middle class tax relief.               
Pages S2880-87, S2906-08
  By 42 yeas to 58 nays (Vote No. 58), Lautenberg (for Hollings) 
Amendment No. 2193, to provide a supermajority point of order against 
any change in the off-budget status of Social Security. 
                                        Pages S2933, S2940-44, S2949-50
  By 54 yeas to 45 nays (Vote No. 60), Craig Amendment No. 2211, to 
modify the pay-as-you-go requirement of the budget process to require 
that direct spending increases be offset only with direct spending 
decreases.                                     
Pages S2946-48, S2950-51
  Subsequently, a point of order that the amendments were violations of 
the Congressional Budget Act was sustained, and the amendments thus 
fell.                                             
Pages S2908, S2950-51
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the bill on Thursday, April 2, 1998.        
Page S3021
Visa Waiver Pilot Program Reauthorization Act: Senate concurred in the 
amendments of the House to S. 1178, to amend the Immigration and 
Nationality Act to extend the visa waiver pilot program, clearing the 
measure for the President.                                   
  Page S3019
Wireless Telephone Protection Act: Senate concurred in the amendments 
of the House to S. 493, to amend section 1029 of title 18, United 
States Code, with respect to cellular telephone cloning paraphernalia, 
clearing the measure for the President.                  
  Pages S3019-21
Nominations--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing for the consideration of the nominations of G. Patrick 
Murphy, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of 
Illinois, and Michael P. McCuskey, to be United States District Judge 
for the Central District of Illinois, on Thursday, April 2, 1998, with 
votes to occur thereon.                                      
  Page S3015
Removal of Injunction of Secrecy: The injunction of secrecy was removed 
for the following treaty:
  Inter-American Convention Against Corruption. (Treaty Doc. 105-39)
  The treaty was transmitted to the Senate today, considered as having 
been read for the first time, and referred, with accompanying papers, 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations and was ordered to be printed. 
                                                         Pages S3014-15
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Timothy B. Dyk, of the District of Columbia, to be United States 
Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit.
  1 Army nomination in the rank of Chief, Army Reserve, United States 
Army.
  Routine lists in the Air Force, Army, Navy.                
Page S3022
Messages From the House:                                     
  Page S2967
Measures Placed on Calendar:                                 
  Page S2967
Communications:                                              
  Page S2967
Petitions:                                                   
  Page S2967
Executive Reports of Committees:                             
  Page S2967
Statements on Introduced Bills:                          
  Pages S2968-87
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S2987-89
Amendments Submitted:                                 
  Pages S2989-S3007
Notices of Hearings:                                         
  Page S3007
Authority for Committees:                                
  Pages S3007-08
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S3008-14
Record Votes: Eight record votes were taken today. (Total--60) 
                             Pages S2895, S2908, S2929, S2948-49, S2951
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m., and adjourned at 10:33 p.m., 
until 8:30 a.m., on Thursday, April 2, 1998. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record, on pages 
S3021-22.)