[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 95 (Thursday, July 16, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D771-D774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                            Thursday, July 16, 1998

[[Page D771]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed Agriculture Appropriations, 1999.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S8269-S8423
Measures Introduced: Eight bills were introduced, as follows: S. 2317-
2324.
  Page S8382
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  H.R. 1085, to revise, codify, and enact without substantive change 
certain general and permanent laws, related to patriotic and national 
observances, ceremonies, and organizations, as title 36, United States 
Code, ``Patriotic and National Observances, Ceremonies, and 
Organizations''.
  S. Res. 207, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the founding of 
the Vietnam Veterans of America.
  S. 1134, granting the consent and approval of Congress to an 
interstate forest fire protection compact.
  S. 1645, to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking 
minors across State lines to avoid laws requiring the involvement of 
parents in abortion decisions, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute.
  S. 2192, to make certain technical corrections to the Trademark Act 
of 1946.
  S. 2193, to implement the provisions of the Trademark Law Treaty.
  S.J. Res. 35, granting the consent of Congress to the Pacific 
Northwest Emergency Management Arrangement.
Page S8381
Measures Passed:
  Agriculture Appropriations, 1999: By 97 yeas to 2 nays (Vote No. 
209), Senate passed H.R. 4101, making appropriations for Agriculture, 
Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, after striking 
all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the text of 
S. 2159, Senate companion measure, after taking action on amendments 
proposed thereto, as follows:
  Pages S8269-73, S8275-81, S8283-85, S8287-93, S8297-S8330
Adopted:
  By 71 yeas to 28 nays (Vote No. 206), Grassley Amendment No. 3172, to 
express the sense of the Senate concerning appropriate actions to be 
taken to alleviate the economic effect of low commodity prices. 
                                               Pages S8269-73, S8275-81
  Conrad/Dorgan Amendment No. 3173, to provide funds for and improve 
the reserve inventories program.
Pages S8288-92
  By 65 yeas to 34 nays (Vote No. 207), Harkin Amendment No. 3175, to 
provide funding for programs of the Food Safety Initiative. 
                                                      Pages S8297-S8306
  Robb Amendment No. 3177, to waive the statute of limitations barring 
certain discrimination complaints against the Department of 
Agriculture.
Pages S8307-09
  Cochran (for Brownback) Amendment No. 3178, to direct the Secretary 
of Agriculture to improve the Census of Agriculture by eliminating 
redundant questions and removing penalties.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Levin) Amendment No. 3179, to authorize the Secretary of 
Agriculture to use certain funds to carry out a tree assistance program 
and to clarify the eligibility of certain producers for assistance 
under the program.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Kerrey/Roberts) Amendment No. 3180, to require the 
Secretary of Agriculture to assist the Commission on 21st Century 
Production Agriculture to conduct a study to guide the development of 
future Federal agricultural policies.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Graham) Amendment No. 3181, to require country of origin 
labeling of perishable agricultural commodities imported into the 
United States and to establish penalties for violations of the labeling 
requirements.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Bumpers) Amendment No. 3182, to express the sense of the 
Senate that unauthorized user fees submitted in the President's budget 
have resulted in shortfalls for specified programs.
Pages S8309-14

[[Page D772]]


  Cochran (for Feingold/Jeffords) Amendment No. 3183, to require the 
Secretary of Agriculture to establish and maintain within the 
Department of Agriculture an Office of the Small Farms Advocate. 
                                                         Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Dorgan) Amendment No. 3184, to limit the penalty for an 
inadvertent violation of a contract under the Agricultural Market 
Transition Act.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Craig/Lugar) Amendment No. 3185, to amend the Energy 
Policy Act of 1992 to take into account newly developed renewable 
energy-based fuels and to equalize alternative fuel vehicle acquisition 
incentives to increase the flexibility of controlled fleet owners and 
operators.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Bumpers) Amendment No. 3186, regarding rural housing 
service awards.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Hatch) Amendment No. 3187, to require the Secretary of 
Agriculture to submit a plan to Congress for the lifting of the ban on 
interstate distribution of state inspected meat.
Pages S8309-14
  Cochran (for Coverdell/Cleland) Amendment No. 3188, to modify the 
prohibition on loan guarantees to borrowers that have received debt 
forgiveness.
Pages S8315-16
  Cochran (for Coverdell/Cleland) Amendment No. 3189, to modify the 
factors that are used to determine whether applicants are eligible for 
farm credit loans.
Pages S8315-16
  Cochran (for Coverdell/Cleland) Amendment No. 3190, to prohibit the 
Secretary of Agriculture from denying an emergency loan to a borrower 
by reason of the fact that the borrower lacks a particular amount of 
collateral for the loan if it is reasonably certain that the borrower 
will be able to repay the loan.
Pages S8315-16
  Cochran (for Harkin) Amendment No. 3191, to include the bonus value 
of commodities in meeting a minimum commodity assistance requirement 
and to increase the amount appropriated for the WIC program. 
                                                         Pages S8315-16
  Dodd Amendment No. 3176, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to 
ensure timely notification of recalls of certain drugs and devices. 
                              Pages S8306-07, S8309, S8316-17, S8328-29
  Dodd Modified Amendment No. 3192 (to Amendment No. 3176), of a 
perfecting nature.
Pages S8317, S8328-29
  Cochran (for Baucus/Leahy/Sessions) Amendment No. 3194, to increase 
funding for certain programs of the Cooperative State Research, 
Education, and Extension Service.
Page S8329
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate took the following 
action:
  By 49 yeas to 50 nays (Vote No. 208), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected a motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act with respect to 
consideration of Harkin/Reed Amendment No. 3193, to provide additional 
funding to conduct anti-tobacco activities by the Food and Drug 
Administration. Subsequently, a point of order that the amendment was 
in violation of section 302(f) of the Congressional Budget Act was 
sustained, and the amendment thus fell.
Pages S8317-24
  Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair appointed the following conferees on the 
part of the Senate: Senators Cochran, Specter, Bond, Gorton, McConnell, 
Burns, Stevens, Bumpers, Harkin, Kohl, Leahy, Boxer, and Byrd. 
                                                         Pages S8329-30
  Subsequently, S. 2159 was returned to the Senate calendar.
  Japanese Market Barriers: Committee on Finance was discharged from 
further consideration of S. Con. Res. 88, calling on Japan to have an 
open, competitive market for consumer photographic film and paper and 
other sectors facing market access barriers in Japan, and the measure 
was then agreed to, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed 
thereto:
  Pages S8420-21
  Bond (for D'Amato) Amendment No. 3210, to make clarifying 
corrections.
Pages S8420-21
  Judicial Voluntary Services: Senate passed S. 2143, to amend chapter 
45 of title 28, United States Code, to authorize the Administrative 
Assistant to the Chief Justice to accept voluntary services, after 
agreeing to a committee amendment in the nature of a substitute. 
                                                             Page S8421
  Uranium Hexafluoride Disposition: Senate passed S. 2316, to require 
the Secretary of Energy to submit to Congress a plan to ensure that all 
amounts accrued on the books of the United States Enrichment 
Corporation for the disposition of depleted uranium hexafluoride will 
be used to treat and recycle depleted uranium hexafluoride, after 
agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto:
  Pages S8421-23
  Bond (for Ford) Amendment No. 3211, to express the sense of the 
Senate that sufficient funds are made available to implement a cleanup 
plan to be developed by the Secretary of Energy.
Pages S8421-22
VA/HUD Appropriations:  Senate resumed consideration of S. 2168, making 
appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and 
Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies, commissions, 
corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1999, taking action on amendments proposed thereto, as follows: 
                                                         Pages S8330-74

[[Page D773]]

Adopted:
  Bond/Cleland/Mikulski Amendment No. 3195, to increase funds for VA 
homeless grant and per diem program.
Pages S8331-32
  Bond (for McCain) Amendment No. 3196, to require entities that 
operate homeless shelters to identify and provide certain counseling to 
homeless veterans.
Pages S8332-33
  Bond/Mikulski/Rockefeller Amendment No. 3197, to provide funds for 
the implementation of the Primary Care Providers Incentive Act. 
                                                             Page S8333
  Bond (for Sarbanes/Mikulski) Amendment No. 3198, to provide for the 
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
Page S8334
  Reed Amendment No. 3203, to increase the funding for community 
development block grants.
Pages S8352-53
  Bond (for Ashcroft/Bond) Amendment No. 3207, to provide for the 
ineligibility for certain housing assistance of individuals convicted 
of manufacturing or producing methamphetamine.
Pages S8365-67
  Bond (for Snowe/Collins) Amendment No. 3208, to express the sense of 
the Senate that it should be the goal of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to serve all veterans at health care facilities within 250 
miles of their homes.
Pages S8367-68
  Bond/Mikulski Amendment No. 3209, to make certain technical 
corrections, to ensure that Native American groups are eligible for HUD 
drug elimination grants, to continue the authority for the HUD (g)(4) 
auction program, to allow HUD to use data on multifamily housing 
developed by the Multifamily Housing Institute, to require all agencies 
under the bill to provide detailed salaries and expenses information, 
to authorize OSTP to conduct a study on methods for evaluating 
Federally-funded research and development, to provide for a 12-month 
notice to tenants before prepaying the mortgage of a preservation 
project, and to require HUD to improves its management of the FHA. 
                                                         Pages S8372-74
Pending:
  Wellstone/Murray/McCain Amendment No. 3199, to restore veterans 
tobacco-related benefits as in effect before the enactment of the 
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.
Pages S8334-37
  Murkowski Amendment No. 3200, to provide land allotments for certain 
Native Alaskan veterans.
Page S8337
  Nickles Amendment No. 3202, to provide for an increase in FHA single 
family maximum mortgage amounts and GNMA guaranty fee.
Pages S8340-52
  Burns Amendment No. 3205, to provide for insurance and 
indemnification with respect to the development of certain experimental 
aerospace vehicles.
Pages S8361-62
  Sessions Amendment No. 3206, to increase funding for activities of 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration concerning science 
and technology, aeronautics, space transportation, and technology by 
reducing funding for the AmeriCorps program.
Pages S8363-65
Withdrawn:
  Daschle Amendment No. 3063, to amend the Public Health Service Act 
and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to protect 
consumers in managed care plans and other health coverage.
Page S8330
  Feingold Amendment No. 3201, to provide grants to State educational 
agencies to enable agencies to determine the benefits of reducing class 
size on the educational performance of students.
Pages S8339-40
  Kerrey/Hagel Amendment No. 3204, to prohibit the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency from implementing or enforcing the 
public water system treatment requirements related to the cooper action 
level of the national primary drinking water regulations for lead and 
copper until certain studies are completed.
Pages S8353-61, H8362-63
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that when the 
Senate receives the House companion measure to S. 2168, that all after 
the enacting clause be stricken and the text of S. 2168, as passed by 
the Senate, be inserted in lieu thereof, and that the House bill, as 
amended, be passed. Also, that the Senate insist on its amendment, 
request a conference with the House thereon, and the Chair be 
authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate as follows: 
Senators Bond, Burns, Stevens, Shelby, Campbell, Craig, Mikulski, 
Leahy, Lautenberg, Harkin, and Byrd.
Page S8374
  A further consent agreement was granted providing that upon passage 
by the Senate of the House measure, as amended, that the passage of S. 
2168 be vitiated and the bill be indefinitely postponed.
Page S8374
  Senate will continue consideration of the bill and amendments pending 
thereto, on Friday, July 17, 1998, with votes to occur thereon.
Executive Reports of Committees: Senate received the following 
executive report of a committee:
  Treaty Doc. 105-43, Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public 
Officials in International Business Transactions, with one 
understanding, one declaration and three provisos. (Exec. Rept. No. 
105-19)
Pages S8381-82
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  John D. Hawke, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be Comptroller of 
the Currency for a term of five years.

[[Page D774]]


  John Melvin Yates, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Cameroon.
Page S8423
Communications:
  Pages S8380-81
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Pages S8381-82
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S8382-87
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S8387-88
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S8388-S8413
Notices of Hearings:
  Page S8413
Authority for Committees:
  Page S8413
Additional Statements:
  Pages S8413-20
Record Votes: Four record votes were taken today. (Total--209) 
                                       Pages S8281, S8306, S8323, S8329
Adjournment: Senate convened at 10 a.m., and adjourned at 11:55 p.m., 
until 9 a.m., on Friday, July 17, 1998. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S8423.)