[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 97 (Monday, July 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8564-S8565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED

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              LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

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                        GRAMS AMENDMENT NO. 3215

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. GRAMS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to 
the bill (H.R. 4112) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes; 
as follows:

       In the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Government Shutdown 
     Prevention Act.''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO TITLE 31.

     (a) In General: Chapter 13 of title 31, United States Code, 
     is amended by inserting after section 1310 the following new 
     section:

1311. Continuing appropriations
       (a)(1) If any regular appropriation bill for a fiscal year 
     does not become law prior to the beginning of such fiscal 
     year or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations 
     is not in effect, there is appropriated, out of any moneys in 
     the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of 
     applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, 
     such sums as may be necessary to continue any project or 
     activity for which funds were provided in the preceding 
     fiscal year--
       (A) in the corresponding regular appropriation Act for such 
     preceding fiscal year; or
       (B) if the corresponding regular appropriation bill for 
     such preceding fiscal year did not become law, then in a 
     joint resolution making continuing appropriations for such 
     preceding fiscal year.
       (2) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
     granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal year 
     pursuant to this section shall be at a rate of operations not 
     in excess of the lower of--
       (A) the rate of operations provided for in the regular 
     appropriation Act providing for such project or activity for 
     the preceding fiscal year,
       (B) in the absence of such an Act, the rate of operations 
     provided for such project or activity pursuant to a joint 
     resolution making continuing appropriations for such 
     preceding fiscal year,
       (C) the rate or operations provided for in the House or 
     Senate passed appropriation bill for the fiscal year in 
     question, except that the lower of these two versions shall 
     be ignored for any project or activity for which there is a 
     budget request if no funding is provided for that project or 
     activity in either version.
       (D) the rate provided in the budget submission of the 
     President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 
     Code, for the fiscal year in question, or
       (E) the annualized rate of operations provided for in the 
     most recently enacted joint resolution making continuing 
     appropriations for part of the fiscal year or any funding 
     levels established under the provisions of this Act.
       (3) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
     granted, for any fiscal year pursuant to this section for a 
     project or activity shall be available for the period 
     beginning with the first day of a lapse in appropriations and 
     ending with the earlier of--
       (A) the date on which the applicable regular appropriation 
     bill for such fiscal year becomes law (whether or not such 
     law provides for such project or activity) or a continuing 
     resolution making appropriations becomes law, as the case may 
     be, or
       (B) the last day of such fiscal year.
       (d) An appropriation or funds made available, or authority 
     granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal year 
     pursuant to the section shall be subject to the terms and 
     conditions imposed with respect to the appropriation made or 
     funds made available for the preceding fiscal year, or 
     authority granted for such project or activity under current 
     law.
       (c) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
     granted, for any project or activity for any fiscal year 
     pursuant to this section shall cover all obligations or 
     expenditures incurred for such project or activity during the 
     portion of such fiscal year for which this section applies to 
     such project or activity.
       (d) Expenditures made for a project or activity for any 
     fiscal year pursuant to this section shall be charged to the 
     applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a 
     regular appropriation bill or a joint resolution making 
     continuing appropriations until the end of a fiscal year 
     providing for such project or activity for such period 
     becomes law.
       (c) This section shall not apply to a project or activity 
     during a fiscal year if any other provision of law (other 
     than an authorization of appropriations)--
       (1) makes an appropriation, makes funds available, or 
     grants authority for such project or activity to continue for 
     such period, or
       (2) specifically provides that no appropriation shall be 
     made, no funds shall be made available, or no authority shall 
     be granted for such project or activity to continue for such 
     period.
       (f) For purposes of this section, the term ``regular 
     appropriation bill'' means any annual appropriation bill 
     making appropriations, otherwise making funds available or 
     granting authority, for any of the following categories of 
     projects and activities:
       (1) Agriculture, rural development, and related agencies 
     programs.
       (2) The Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the 
     Judiciary, and related agencies.
       (3) The Department of Defense.
       (4) The government of the District of Columbia and other 
     activities chargeable in whole or in part against the 
     revenues of the District.
       (5) The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, 
     and Education, and related agencies.
       (6) The Department of Housing and Urban Development, and 
     sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, 
     corporations, and offices.
       (7) Energy and water development
       (8) Foreign assistance and related programs.
       (9) The Department of the Interior and related agencies.
       (10) Military construction.
       (11) The Department of Transportation and related agencies.
       (12) The Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the 
     Executive Office of the President, and certain independent 
     agencies.
       (13) The legislative branch.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis of chapter 13 of 
     title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 1310 the following new item:

1311. Continuing appropriations.

       (c) Protection of Other Obligations.--Nothing in the 
     amendments made by this section shall be construed to effect 
     Government obligations mandated by other law, including 
     obligations with respect to Social Security, Medicare, and 
     Medicaid.

     SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       (a) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall 
     apply with respect to fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 
     1999.
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               BROWNBACK (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3216

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Inhofe, and Mr. Smith

[[Page S8565]]

of New Hampshire) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
them to the bill, H.R. 4112, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in the bill, add the following:

     SEC. ____. COMBINED RETURN TO WHICH UNMARRIED RATES APPLY.

       (a) In General.--Subpart B of part II of subchapter A of 
     chapter 61 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to 
     income tax returns) is amended by inserting after section 
     6013 the following new section:

     ``SEC. 6013A. COMBINED RETURN WITH SEPARATE RATES.

       ``(a) General Rule.--A husband and wife may make a combined 
     return of income taxes under subtitle A under which--
       ``(1) a separate taxable income is determined for each 
     spouse by applying the rules provided in this section, and
       ``(2) the tax imposed by section 1 is the aggregate amount 
     resulting from applying the separate rates set forth in 
     section 1(c) to each such taxable income.
       ``(b) Determination of Taxable Income.--
       ``(1) In general.--For purposes of subsection (a)(1), the 
     taxable income for each spouse shall be one-half of the 
     taxable income computed as if the spouses were filing a joint 
     return.
       ``(2) Nonitemizers.--For purposes of paragraph (1), if an 
     election is made not to itemize deductions for any taxable 
     year, the basic standard deduction shall be equal to the 
     amount which is twice the basic standard deduction under 
     section 63(c)(2)(C) for the taxable year.
       ``(c) Treatment of Credits.--Credits shall be determined 
     (and applied against the joint liability of the couple for 
     tax) as if the spouses had filed a joint return.
       ``(d) Treatment as Joint Return.--Except as otherwise 
     provided in this section or in the regulations prescribed 
     hereunder, for purposes of this title (other than sections 1 
     and 63(c)) a combined return under this section shall be 
     treated as a joint return.
       ``(e) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such 
     regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out 
     this section.''
       (b) Unmarried Rate Made Applicable.--So much of subsection 
     (c) of section 1 of such Code as precedes the table is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(c) Separate or Unmarried Return Rate.--There is hereby 
     imposed on the taxable income of every individual (other than 
     a married individual (as defined in section 7703) filing a 
     joint return or a separate return, a surviving spouse as 
     defined in section 2(a), or a head of household as defined in 
     section 2(b)) a tax determined in accordance with the 
     following table:''.
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subpart 
     B of part II of subchapter A of chapter 61 of such Code is 
     amended by inserting after the item relating to section 6013 
     the following:

``Sec. 6013A. Combined return with separate rates.''

       (d) Budget Directive.--The members of the conference on the 
     congressional budget resolution for fiscal year 1999 shall 
     provide in the conference report sufficient spending 
     reductions to offset the reduced revenues received by the 
     United States Treasury resulting from the amendments made by 
     this section.
       (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.
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                 McCAIN (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3217

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. Coats, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Faircloth, Mr. 
Ashcroft, Mr. Kerrey, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Abraham, 
and Mr. Robb) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by them to 
the bill, H.R. 4112, supra; as follows:

       In the appropriate place in the bill insert the following:

     SEC. 311. AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN CRS WEB SITE INFORMATION.

       (a) Availability of Information.--
       (1) In general.--The Director of the Congressional Research 
     Service shall make available on the Internet, for purposes of 
     access and retrieval by the public, all information that--
       (A) is available through the Congressional Research Service 
     web site;
       (B) is described in paragraph (2); and
       (C) is not confidential as determined by--
       (i) the Director; or
       (ii) the head of a Federal department or agency that 
     provided the information to the Congressional Research 
     Service.
       (2) Information.--The information referred to in paragraph 
     (1)(B) is as follows:
       (A) All Congressional Research Service Issue Briefs.
       (B) All Congressional Research Service Reports that are 
     available to Members of Congress through the Congressional 
     Research Service web site.
       (C) All Congressional Research Service Authorization of 
     Appropriations Products or Appropriations Products.
       (3) Removal of information; changes and updates.--
     Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the 
     Director of the Congressional Research Service may--
       (A) remove from the information required to be made 
     available on the Internet under this section the name of, 
     phone number of, and information regarding, an employee of 
     the Congressional Research Service;
       (B) remove from the information required to be made 
     available on the Internet under this section, any material 
     the Director determines may infringe the copyright of a work 
     protected under title 17, United States Code; and
       (C) make any changes or updates in the information required 
     to be made available on the Internet under this section that 
     the Director determines are necessary to ensure that the 
     information is accurate.
       (b) Time.--The information shall be so made available not 
     earlier than 30 days after the first day the information is 
     available to Members of Congress through the Congressional 
     Research Service web site.
       (c) Requirements.--The Director of the Congressional 
     Research Service shall make the information available in a 
     manner that the Director determines--
       (1) is practical and reasonable; and
       (2) does not permit the submission of comments from the 
     public.
       (d) Method of Public Access.--The public shall have access 
     to the web page containing Congressional Research Service 
     information that is available to the public only through the 
     Library of Congress' THOMAS web page (http://thomas.loc.gov). 
     The Director of Congressional Research Service shall work 
     with the Librarian of Congress to establish an appropriate 
     Internet link to carry out this subsection. The Director of 
     Congressional Research Service shall be responsible for 
     maintaining and updating the web page containing 
     Congressional Research Service products. The Director of 
     Congressional Research Service shall have sole discretion to 
     edit the web page based on the criteria established by this 
     Act. The Librarian of Congress shall have the responsibility 
     of working with the Director of Congressional Research 
     Service only to the extent necessary to establish the link 
     from the THOMAS web page to the public access Congressional 
     Research Service web page. Nothing in this Act may be 
     construed to interfere with the Librarian's normal duties 
     concerning THOMAS.
       (e) Further Approval Not Required.--Notwithstanding the 
     first proviso under the subheading ``salaries and expenses'' 
     under the subheading ``Congressional Research Service'' under 
     the heading ``LIBRARY OF CONGRESS'' under title I of this Act 
     (relating to prior approval of certain publications), the 
     Director shall make information available in accordance with 
     this section without the prior approval of the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration of the Senate or the Committee on 
     House Oversight of the House of Representatives.

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