[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D414-D415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                            Tuesday, April 28, 1998

[[Page D414]]


                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate agreed to State Department Reorganization Conference 
      Report.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S3665-S3738
Measures Introduced: Seven bills were introduced, as follows: S. 1993-
1999.
  Page S3709
Treaty Considered: Senate continued consideration of the Protocols to 
the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on Accession of Poland, Hungary, and 
the Czech Republic, with a resolution of ratification containing seven 
declarations and four conditions, taking action on amendments proposed 
thereto, as follows:
  Pages S3667-78, S3680, S3686-S3708
Adopted:
  By 90 yeas to 9 nays (Vote No. 107), Kyl Modified Amendment No. 2310, 
to establish principles of policy of the United States toward the 
Strategic Concept of NATO.
Pages S3667, S3680, S3687-88, S3695-98
Rejected:
  By 24 yeas to 76 nays (Vote No 106), Harkin Amendment No. 2312, to 
limit future U.S. subsidies of the national expenses incurred by 
Poland, Hungary, or the Czech Republic in meeting NATO commitments. 
                                               Pages S3667-78, S3686-87
Pending:
  Smith (New Hampshire)/Hutchison Amendment No. 2314, to express a 
condition requiring full cooperation from Poland, Hungary, and the 
Czech Republic with United States efforts to obtain the fullest 
possible accounting of captured and missing United States personnel 
from past military conflicts or Cold War incidents. 
                                            Pages S3688-95, S3698-S3708
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the Treaty and the amendment pending thereto, on 
Wednesday, April 29, 1998.
Page S3737
State Department Reorganization Conference Report: By 51 yeas to 49 
nays (Vote No. 105), Senate agreed to the conference report on H.R. 
1757, to consolidate international affairs agencies, to authorize 
appropriations for the Department of State and related agencies for 
fiscal years 1998 and 1999, to ensure that the enlargement of the North 
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) proceeds in a manner consistent 
with United States interests, to strengthen relations between the 
United States and Russia, and to preserve the prerogatives of the 
Congress with respect to certain arms control agreements. 
                                                         Pages S3680-86
Education Savings Act for Public and Private Schools--Conferees: 
Pursuant to the order of March 27, 1998, the Chair appointed conferees 
on the part of the Senate on H.R. 2646, to amend the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 to allow tax-free expenditures from education individual 
retirement accounts for elementary and secondary school expenses, and 
to increase the maximum annual amount of contributions to such 
accounts, as follows: Senators Roth, Mack, Coats, Gorton, Coverdell, 
Moynihan, Moseley-Braun, Kennedy, and Bingaman.
  Page S3736
Appointments:
  Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem: The Chair, on 
behalf of the President pro tempore, and upon the recommendation of the 
Republican Leader, pursuant to the provisions of S. Res. 208 of the 
105th Congress, appointed the following Senators to the Special 
Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem: Senators Kyl, Smith (of 
Oregon), and Collins, and as ex-officio members by virtue of their 
positions on the Committee on Appropriations: Senators Stevens and 
Byrd.
  Page S3736
Removal of Injunction of Secrecy: The injunction of secrecy was removed 
for the following treaty:
  Treaty with Brazil on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. 
(Treaty Doc. 105-42)
  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. 
                                                             Page S3737

[[Page D415]]

Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  Togo Dennis West, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs.
Pages S3736-38
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  Mari Carmen Aponte, of Puerto Rico, to be Ambassador to the Dominican 
Republic.
  E. William Crotty, of Florida, to be Ambassador to Barbados, and to 
serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador 
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Barbados, the Commonwealth of 
Dominica, the State of Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint 
Vincent and the Grenadines.
  Jeffrey Davidow, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Mexico.
  John O'Leary, of Maine, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Chile.
  Arthur Louis Schechter, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the 
Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Page S3738
Messages From the House:
  Page S3709
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S3709-23
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S3723-24
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S3724-25
Authority for Committees:
  Page S3725
Additional Statements:
  Pages S3725-36
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total-107) 
                                                  Pages S3686-87, S3698
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 7:28 p.m., 
until 11:45 a.m., on Wednesday, April 29, 1998. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on 
pages S3737-38.)