[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:

[[Page H6595]]

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[[Page H6596]]

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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.

                          ____________________