[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 29, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H6593-H6597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4059, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS
ACT, 1999
Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of
today, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 4059) making
appropriations for military construction, family housing, and base
realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes, and ask for its
immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
[[Page H6594]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today,
the conference report is considered read.
(For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of
July 24, 1998 at page H6427.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California (Mr. Packard)
and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hefner) each will control 30
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Packard).
Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would advise the Members of the House that we do not
expect this to take more than just a few moments.
Less than a month ago, we voted on the floor of the House on this
bill, H.R. 4059, and it passed 396 to 10. No controversy came out of
the conference. It was a very amicable and successful conference.
Mr. Speaker, this conference report calls for an 8 percent decrease
in funding from last year's appropriated level. It was a successful
conference. We came to an agreeable compromise between the Senate
version of the bill and the House version.
Mr. Speaker, I simply want to thank the members of my subcommittee
and the staff that has helped craft this conference report.
Mr. Speaker, I submit the following for inclusion in the Record:
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[[Page H6597]]
Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HEFNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to congratulate the gentleman
from California (Chairman Packard) for his work, as well as the work of
the staff on the committee, which I think is one of the staffs that is
most responsive to the needs of the members on the Committee on
Appropriations.
This is a good bill. We did the very best that we could with very
limited funds, and we targeted it toward quality of life for our men
and women in the Armed Forces. I would urge everyone to support this
bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the conference agreement for
the FY 1999 Military Construction bill.
I also want to thank the Subcommittee Chairman, Mr. Packard, for his
hard work as well as the bipartisan spirit he has encouraged among the
members of this committee.
The bill provides $8.4 billion for military construction, family
housing, and the last two rounds of base closings.
Although members recognize the importance of this bill in meeting the
needs of the men and women that serve us in the military, this bill is
$734 million dollars below last years level. I can't say that I am
happy to see funding for this important bill drop like this.
Within the allocations, though, this is a good agreement that
responds to the highest priority needs of our service men and women.
Of course, I am very proud of the years of service that I have given
this subcommittee. It used to be easy to forget the folks that serve us
in the military, and we have changed that.
The past few years, though, the numbers keep getting lower and lower.
It worries me.
Giving our men and women in the military a decent place to live and
work is not just one of the keys to military readiness and retention,
it is also a basic responsibility we all shoulder.
I urge all members to support the conference agreement.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by simply saying this is
the last conference report for the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Hefner) and we want to thank him with a round of applause.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HEFNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I will not take the 2 minutes. I simply want
to, on this side of the aisle, express our congratulations to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hefner) for the wonderful service he
has provided this institution.
He has worked for as long as he has been here for decent working
conditions and decent living conditions for our American servicemen and
servicewomen, and I think this institution owes him a debt of gratitude
for the work he his done on behalf of all of them.
Mr. HEFNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the conference report.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the conference report.
Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XV, the yeas and nays are ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were-- yeas 417,
nays 1, not voting 16, as follows:
[Roll No. 353]
YEAS--417
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Aderholt
Allen
Andrews
Archer
Armey
Bachus
Baesler
Baker
Baldacci
Ballenger
Barcia
Barr
Barrett (NE)
Barrett (WI)
Bartlett
Barton
Bass
Bateman
Becerra
Bentsen
Bereuter
Berman
Berry
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop
Blagojevich
Bliley
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonior
Bono
Borski
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brown (CA)
Brown (FL)
Brown (OH)
Bryant
Bunning
Burr
Burton
Buyer
Callahan
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Canady
Cannon
Capps
Cardin
Carson
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Chenoweth
Christensen
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Coble
Coburn
Collins
Combest
Condit
Conyers
Cook
Cooksey
Costello
Cox
Coyne
Cramer
Crane
Crapo
Cubin
Cummings
Cunningham
Danner
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (VA)
Deal
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
DeLay
Deutsch
Diaz-Balart
Dickey
Dicks
Dingell
Dixon
Doggett
Dooley
Doolittle
Doyle
Dreier
Dunn
Edwards
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
Engel
English
Ensign
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Everett
Ewing
Farr
Fattah
Fawell
Fazio
Filner
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fossella
Fowler
Fox
Franks (NJ)
Frelinghuysen
Frost
Furse
Gallegly
Ganske
Gejdenson
Gekas
Gephardt
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gilman
Goode
Goodlatte
Goodling
Gordon
Goss
Graham
Granger
Green
Greenwood
Gutierrez
Gutknecht
Hall (OH)
Hall (TX)
Hamilton
Hansen
Hastert
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Hefley
Hefner
Herger
Hill
Hilleary
Hilliard
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoekstra
Holden
Hooley
Horn
Hostettler
Houghton
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hunter
Hutchinson
Hyde
Inglis
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
John
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (WI)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kasich
Kelly
Kennedy (MA)
Kennedy (RI)
Kennelly
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kim
Kind (WI)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kleczka
Klink
Klug
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kucinich
LaFalce
LaHood
Lampson
Lantos
Largent
Latham
LaTourette
Lazio
Leach
Lee
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Lipinski
Livingston
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas
Luther
Maloney (CT)
Maloney (NY)
Manton
Manzullo
Markey
Martinez
Mascara
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCrery
McDade
McDermott
McGovern
McHale
McHugh
McInnis
McIntosh
McIntyre
McKeon
McKinney
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Metcalf
Mica
Millender-McDonald
Miller (CA)
Miller (FL)
Minge
Mink
Mollohan
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Morella
Murtha
Myrick
Nadler
Nethercutt
Neumann
Ney
Northup
Nussle
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Oxley
Packard
Pallone
Pappas
Parker
Pascrell
Pastor
Paxon
Payne
Pease
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pickett
Pitts
Pombo
Pomeroy
Porter
Portman
Poshard
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Quinn
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Redmond
Regula
Reyes
Riggs
Riley
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rogan
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Rothman
Roukema
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Rush
Ryun
Sabo
Salmon
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Sanford
Sawyer
Saxton
Scarborough
Schaefer, Dan
Schaffer, Bob
Schumer
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuster
Sisisky
Skaggs
Skeen
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (OR)
Smith (TX)
Smith, Adam
Smith, Linda
Snowbarger
Snyder
Solomon
Souder
Spence
Spratt
Stabenow
Stark
Stearns
Stenholm
Stokes
Strickland
Stump
Stupak
Sununu
Talent
Tanner
Tauscher
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Thomas
Thompson
Thornberry
Thune
Thurman
Tiahrt
Tierney
Traficant
Turner
Upton
Velazquez
Vento
Visclosky
Walsh
Wamp
Waters
Watkins
Watt (NC)
Watts (OK)
Waxman
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Wexler
Weygand
White
Wicker
Wilson
Wise
Wolf
Woolsey
Wynn
Young (AK)
NAYS--1
Paul
NOT VOTING--16
Duncan
Frank (MA)
Gonzalez
Harman
Linder
McCollum
Moakley
Neal
Norwood
Rangel
Rogers
Torres
Towns
Whitfield
Yates
Young (FL)
{time} 2142
So the conference report was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________