[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 113 (Tuesday, September 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9715-S9719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999--CONFERENCE REPORT

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now 
consider the report of the committee of conference 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.
  The Senate proceeded to consider the conference report.
  (The conference report is printed in the House proceedings of the 
Record of July 24, 1998.)
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President. I am very pleased to bring before the 
Senate the military construction conference report for fiscal year 
1999.
  This conference report was adopted by the House of Representatives by 
a vote of 417 to 1. It was sent to the Senate and now waits our final 
passage.
  We have worked hard with our House colleagues to bring the military 
construction conference to a successful conclusion. Both bodies took a 
different perspective on the allocation of military construction 
funding for the Department of Defense. In the final conference report, 
we met our goals of promoting quality of life initiatives and enhancing 
mission readiness.
  This bill has some points I want to highlight. It provides a total of 
$8.4 billion for military construction. Even

[[Page S9716]]

though this is an increase of $665 million over the President's budget 
for fiscal year 1998, it is still a reduction of $759 million from what 
was appropriated last year--an overall reduction of 8.8 percent.
  Some 42 percent of the bill is allocated to family housing--a total 
of $3.5 billion. This includes new construction, improvements to 
existing units and funding for operation and maintenance of that 
housing.

  The base realignment and closure part of the bill account for 19 
percent of our total funding--about $1.6 billion. This encompasses 
funding for environmental clean-up of the closing bases and 
construction of new BRAC-related facilities.
  I continue to be concerned about the growing costs of environmental 
clean-up at our BRAC installations. These costs frequently continue 
long after we have closed these bases.
  We strongly protected quality of life initiatives. We provided $716 
million for barracks, $34 million for child development centers and 
$184 million for hospital and medical facilities.
  We provided a total of $480 million for the Guard and Reserve 
components. Overall, this represents an increase of $300 million from 
the President's budget request. Many of those projects will enhance the 
readiness and mission capabilities of our Reserve and Guard forces, 
vital to our national defense.
  I thank my ranking member, Senator Murray, for her assistance and 
support throughout this process. She and her staff were extremely 
cooperative.
  I commend this product to the Senate and recommend that it be signed 
by the President without delay.
  It is nice to see everybody back from vacation and the August break. 
I think most of us had time to travel around our States and talk with 
our folks at home and to bring back maybe some new ideas. I remind this 
body that for the first time in the history of this country, better 
than 50 percent of our military forces are found in our National Guard 
and our Reserves. If we continue to trend that way, then the 
infrastructure that it will take for those folks to be properly 
trained--and let's face it, those who serve in the Guard and the 
Reserves are as dedicated men and women to the national security of 
this country as anybody else, but they will need the infrastructure in 
which to operate.
  This administration did not really fully fund our infrastructure for 
our Guard and our Reserves, but this Congress did. I congratulate this 
Congress for doing so, because it becomes more and more important every 
day that these dedicated Americans who wish to serve their country as 
citizens, soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors have the 
infrastructure in which to keep them trained and to keep their 
dedication and their morale as high as we can possibly make it.
  I heartily recommend this conference report.
  (At the request of Mr. Burns, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record:)
 Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, the pending military construction 
appropriations conference report provides $8.5 billion in new budget 
authority and $2.6 billion in new outlays for military construction and 
family housing programs for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 
1999.
  When outlays from prior-year budget authority and other actions are 
considered, the outlays for the 1999 program total $9.2 billion.
  Compared to 1998 appropriations, this bill is $446 million lower in 
budget authority, and it is $412 million lower in outlays.
  This legislation provides for construction by the Department of 
Defense for U.S. military facilities throughout the world, and it 
provides for family housing for the active forces of each of the U.S. 
military services. Accordingly, it provides for important readiness and 
quality of life programs for our service men and women.
  The bill is within the revised section 302(b) allocation for the 
Military Construction Subcommittee. I commend the distinguished 
subcommittee chairman, the Senator from Montana, for bringing this bill 
to the floor within the subcommittee's allocation.
  Earlier, because CBO had not adjusted its baseline, prior year 
military construction outlays had not been revised to reflect Congress' 
override of President Clinton's line-item veto of 37 fiscal year 1998 
projects. This adjustment would have revised prior year outlays upward 
by $112 million. This $112 million has now been added back to the CBO 
baseline and CBO's scoring of this legislation. Accordingly, this 
conference report contains no scorekeeping adjustments.
  I urge the adoption of the conference report.
  Mr. President, I ask that a table showing the relationship of the 
bill to the subcommittee's section 302(b) allocation be printed in the 
Record.
  The table follows:

            H.R. 4059, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS, 1999 SPENDING TOTALS--CONFERENCE REPORT            
                                   [Fiscal year 1999, in millions of dollars]                                   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Category                             Defense  Nondefense   Crime   Mandatory   Total 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conference report:                                                                                              
  Budget authority............................................    8,450  ..........  .......  .........    8,450
  Outlays.....................................................    9,185  ..........  .......  .........    9,185
Section 302(b) allocation:                                                                                      
  Budget authority............................................    8,450  ..........  .......  .........    8,450
  Outlays.....................................................    9,185  ..........  .......  .........    9,185
1998 level:                                                                                                     
  Budget authority............................................    8,896  ..........  .......  .........    8,896
  Outlays.....................................................    9,597  ..........  .......  .........    9,597
President's request:                                                                                            
  Budget authority............................................    7,784  ..........  .......  .........    7,784
  Outlays.....................................................    9,059  ..........  .......  .........    9,059
House-passed bill:                                                                                              
  Budget authority............................................    8,234  ..........  .......  .........    8,234
  Outlays.....................................................    9,087  ..........  .......  .........    9,087
Senate-passed bill:                                                                                             
  Budget authority............................................    8,481  ..........  .......  .........    8,481
  Outlays.....................................................    9,120  ..........  .......  .........    9,120
                                                                                                                
                CONFERENCE REPORT COMPARED TO:                                                                  
                                                                                                                
Section 302(b) allocation:                                                                                      
  Budget authority............................................  .......  ..........  .......  .........  .......
  Outlays.....................................................  .......  ..........  .......  .........  .......
1998 level:                                                                                                     
  Budget authority............................................     -446  ..........  .......  .........     -446
  Outlays.....................................................     -412  ..........  .......  .........     -412
President's request:                                                                                            
  Budget authority............................................      666  ..........  .......  .........      666
  Outlays.....................................................      126  ..........  .......  .........      126
House-passed bill:                                                                                              
  Budget authority............................................      216  ..........  .......  .........      216
  Outlays.....................................................       98  ..........  .......  .........       98
Senate-passed bill:                                                                                             
  Budget authority............................................      -31  ..........  .......  .........      -31
  Outlays.....................................................       65  ..........  .......  .........      65 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note.--Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Totals adjusted for consistency with current scorekeeping 
  conventions.                                                                                          

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my chairman, Senator 
Burns, in bringing to the Senate our conference report on the 1999 
military construction appropriation bill.
  Favorable action in the Senate today will send this conference report 
to the President, making it the first of the regular 1999 
appropriations bills to be passed by Congress. This is a noteworthy 
accomplishment, and I hope it will set the stage for swift action on 
the remaining appropriations bills.
  We had to make some very tough choices on this bill. Our conference 
agreement totals $8.4 billion. This is $760 million less than what was 
appropriated last year. Given the tight budget confines in which we 
were operating, there were many worthy projects that we could not fund. 
Not one Senator or one State was exempt from this belt-tightening--not 
Senator Burns, not me, and not our leadership. Nevertheless, we held 
ourselves to a high standard of fairness and equity, and our conference 
report reflects that effort. This report satisfies to the best of our 
ability the national and international priorities of our military 
services as well as the regional priorities that our colleagues 
conveyed to us. Most important, it provides funding for scores of 
needed projects throughout the United States and overseas that will 
support America's military personnel, both active and reserve, as they 
carry out their mission to defend and protect our Nation.
  The State of our Nation's military readiness continues to be a 
pressing concern. Although we often equate readiness with equipment or 
troop strength, it is important to remember that basic military 
construction--troop barracks, family housing, vehicle maintenance 
centers, and the like--is at the core of military readiness. This bill 
is the vehicle through which we provide the basic, essential 
infrastructure necessary to support our troops and advance military 
readiness.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this conference report and 
speed it to the President for his signature. This is the product of a 
smooth, fair, and bipartisan process. I commend Chairman Burns for his 
swift and skillful handling of this bill. I commend his staff,

[[Page S9717]]

Sid Ashworth, and my staff, Ben McMakin, Christina Evans, and Emelie 
East, for their diligence and thoroughness in preparing this bill for 
our consideration. It is a good bill, and I hope that all of my 
colleagues will be able to join me in supporting its passage.
  Mr. McCain. Mr. President, I stand before the Senate today to express 
my deep disappointment over the egregious number of low-priority, 
Congressionally earmarked military construction projects that are 
contained in the conference report on the Fiscal Year 1999 Military 
Construction Appropriations Bill.
  I am dismayed that, at a time when our nation's military is 
perilously close to becoming a ``hollow force''--due in great part to a 
decade of declining defense budgets and increased commitments--members 
of both bodies have once again directed precious funds away from the 
services' readiness and modernization needs toward their own parochial 
interests. I am dismayed, but given the long tradition of egregious 
member adds, I am not surprised.
  This year's Military Construction Appropriations Bill was crafted 
under the additional stricture of the Balanced Budget Agreement of 
1997. The agreement established firm funding limits to the National 
Defense budget. With these constraints in place, one would think that 
it would be difficult for members to even consider adding projects of 
questionable merit. Sadly, the sheer volume of unrequested, low-
priority projects present in this bill--142 domestic projects in all, 
at a cost of some $977 million--betrays an attitude of ``business as 
usual'' by the members of Congress.
  I was encouraged by the fact that there were no new projects added by 
the conferees as they crafted this compromise legislation. That display 
of discipline is laudable. However, it pales in comparison to the gross 
misuse of critical defense dollars to fund members' pet military 
construction projects.
  Recently the Navy announced that its pilot retention rate is at its 
lowest point since aviation continuation pay was instituted more than a 
decade ago. The Air Force is currently retaining only 28 percent of its 
pilots. The pay of service members lags an embarrassing 14 percent 
behind the civilian sector. We are deploying some of our forces to 
combat zones that are not meeting established readiness standards. 
Cannibalization rates are increasing. Mission capable rates are 
dropping. Nearly 12,000 personnel are eligible for food stamps. The 
number and scope of training exercises have been curtailed as a result 
of insufficient funding, resources and manpower. The list indicating 
the decaying readiness of our armed forces goes on and on. 
Unfortunately, the congressional response to these critical 
deficiencies has not been ideal.
  In this bill alone, there are 45 additional, unrequested Guard and 
Reserve projects; five control towers at Air Force bases that currently 
have operational control towers; twelve child development or physical 
fitness centers; an $8.3 million fence for Fort Bragg; and many more 
projects of questionable merit--nearly $700 million worth.
  The fact remains that funds for our national defense are limited. We 
have a duty to ensure our men and women in uniform are ready to fight 
and win wars decisively, expeditiously, and with minimum loss of life. 
Robbing from readiness to pay for unadulterated, member sponsored 
military construction projects does not contribute to that end.
  Mr. President, I look forward to the day when the Military 
Construction Bill will be devoid of low-priority, member-requested 
pork. I urge my colleagues to exercise the restraint required to make 
that day a reality. Now, more than ever, the security of our nation 
depends upon it.
  I ask unanimous consent that a list of questionable adds be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    QUESTIONABLE ADDS IN THE FY 1999 MILITARY CONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE REPORT                    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                       Cost in  
                 State                              Base                        Facility              thousands 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama................................  Fort Rucker...............  Simulation center.............      $10,000
Alabama................................  Fort Rucker...............  Fire station..................        4,300
Alabama................................  Redstone Arsenal..........  Airfield operations center....        1,550
Alabama................................  Montgomery................  Office........................        6,000
Alaska.................................  Fort Wainwright...........  Barracks renewal..............       16,000
Alaska.................................  Fort Richardson...........  Improve family housing (40            7,400
                                                                      units).                                   
Alaska.................................  Fort Wainwright...........  Vehicle wash facility.........        3,100
Alaska.................................  Kulis ANG Base............  Vehicle maintenance and fire         10,400
                                                                      station.                                  
Arizona................................  Luke AFB..................  Control tower.................        3,400
Arizona................................  Tucson Airport............  Support complex...............        7,500
Arkansas...............................  Little Rock AFB...........  Upgrade sewage plant..........        1,500
Arkansas...............................  Pine Bluff Arsenal........  Ammunition demilitarization          16,500
                                                                      facility Phase III.                       
Arkansas...............................  Benton ARNG...............  Readiness center..............        1,988
California.............................  Travis AFB................  New control tower.............        4,250
California.............................  Fort Irwin................  Child development center......        5,100
California.............................  Fort Irwin................  Education center..............        2,700
California.............................  Camp Pendleton............  Improve family housing (171          10,000
                                                                      units).                                   
California.............................  Camp Pendleton............  Fitness center................        5,010
California.............................  Camp Pendleton............  Helicopter outlying field.....        7,180
California.............................  NAWC China Lake...........  Live fire complex.............        6,900
Colorado...............................  Fort Carson...............  Railyard expansion............       23,000
Connecticut............................  Naval Sub Base, New London  Waterfront recapitalization...       11,330
Delaware...............................  Dagsboro..................  Readiness center..............        3,609
Florida................................  NAS Jacksonville..........  Add/alter building #118.......        1,500
Florida................................  Mayport Naval Station.....  Afloat training group facility        3,163
Florida................................  Mayport Naval Station.....  Wharf electrical improvements.        3,000
Florida................................  McDill AFB................  Dining facility...............        4,800
Florida................................  Tyndall AFB...............  Control tower.................        3,600
Florida................................  Eglin AFB.................  Assault strip runway..........        5,100
Florida................................  Homestead AFB.............  Dormitory.....................        4,600
Florida................................  NAS Whiting Field.........  8 helicopter pads.............        1,400
Georgia................................  Moody AFB.................  Improve family housing (68            5,220
                                                                      units).                                   
Georgia................................  Albany Marine Base........  Child development center......        2,300
Georgia................................  NAS Atlanta...............  Hangar addition...............        4,100
Georgia................................  Sub Base Kings Bay........  Degaussing facility...........        2,550
Hawaii.................................  Schofield Barracks........  Land purchase.................       23,500
Hawaii.................................  Marine Corps Base, Hawaii.  BEQ...........................       15,000
Hawaii.................................  Hickam AFB................  Replacement civil engineering         5,100
                                                                      facility.                                 
Idaho..................................  Mountain Home.............  Munitions storage facility....        4,100
Idaho..................................  Mountain Home.............  Munitions storage igloo.......        1,500
Illinois...............................  NTC Great Lakes...........  Small arms range..............        6,790
Indiana................................  Hulman Regional Airport...  Corrosion control facility....        6,000
Indiana................................  NSWC Crane................  Airborne electronic warfare          11,110
                                                                      center.                                   
Iowa...................................  Sioux Gateway Airport.....  Add/alter aircraft corrosion          6,500
                                                                      control facility.                         
Iowa...................................  Des Moines................  Police operations building....        4,000
Kansas.................................  Fort Riley................  Barracks complex renewal......       16,500
Kansas.................................  McConnell AFB.............  Add/alter avionics shop.......        5,900
Kansas.................................  McConnell AFB.............  Water storage and pumping             4,450
                                                                      facility.                                 
Kansas.................................  Forbes Field..............  Hangar upgrade................        9,800
Kentucky...............................  Fort Knox.................  Multi-purpose digital training        7,000
                                                                      range.                                    
Kentucky...............................  Fort Campbell.............  Improve family housing (104           8,800
                                                                      units).                                   
Kentucky...............................  Fort Campbell.............  Barracks complex renewal......        7,000
Kentucky...............................  Standiford Field,           Replace composite aerial port.        4,100
                                          Louisville.                                                           
Louisiana..............................  Barksdale AFB.............  Physical fitness center.......        9,300
Louisiana..............................  NAS New Orleans...........  BEQ...........................        9,520

[[Page S9718]]

                                                                                                                
Louisiana..............................  NAS New Orleans...........  Galley addition...............        1,730
Louisiana..............................  NAS New Orleans...........  Renovate hangar #4............        5,200
Louisiana..............................  Fort Polk.................  Rail loading facility.........        8,300
Maryland...............................  Fort Mead.................  Emergency services center.....        5,300
Maryland...............................  US Naval Academy..........  Demolish towers...............        4,300
Maryland...............................  NSWC Indian Head..........  Scale up facility.............        6,590
Massachusetts..........................  Hanscom AFB...............  Renovate management facility..       10,000
Massachusetts..........................  Barnes ANGB...............  Army aviation support facility        9,274
Michigan...............................  Alpena County Regional      Fire Station..................        5,100
                                          Airport.                                                              
Michigan...............................  Selfridge ANG Base........  Upgrade buildings.............        9,800
Minnesota..............................  Minneapolis-St. Paul        Consolidated lodging facility.        3,236
                                          Airport.                                                              
Mississippi............................  Brookhaven................  Guard training center.........        5,247
Mississippi............................  Columbus AFB..............  52 units of family housing....        6,800
Mississippi............................  Columbus AFB..............  BOQ...........................        5,700
Mississippi............................  Meridian..................  Air operations facility.......        3,280
Mississippi............................  Keesler AFB...............  Replace 52 units of family            6,800
                                                                      housing.                                  
Mississippi............................  Stennis Space Center......  Operations support facility...        5,500
Missouri...............................  Fort Leonard Wood.........  Barracks......................       23,000
Missouri...............................  Rosecrans Memorial Airport  Upgrade parking aircraft apron        9,600
Montana................................  Helena....................  Reserve center................       21,690
Montana................................  Malstrom AFB..............  Replace housing (50 units)....       10,000
Montana................................  Malstrom AFB..............  New dormitory.................        7,900
Nebraska...............................  Lincoln Municipal Airport.  Medical training facility.....        3,350
Nevada.................................  Nellis AFB................  28 units of family housing....        5,000
Nevada.................................  Carson City...............  Readiness center..............        5,860
New Jersey.............................  Fort Dix..................  Ammunitions supply point......        8,731
New Jersey.............................  Fort Monmouth.............  Software engineering center           7,600
                                                                      addition.                                 
New Jersey.............................  Picatinny Arsenal.........  Munitions facility............        8,400
New Mexico.............................  Taos......................  Readiness center..............        3,300
New Mexico.............................  Holloman AFB..............  Fitness center................       11,100
New Mexico.............................  Kirtland AFB..............  Repair weapon integrity               6,800
                                                                      building.                                 
New Mexico.............................  White Sands Missile Range.  Improve family housing........        3,650
New York...............................  Fort Drum.................  All weather weapons training          4,650
                                                                      facility.                                 
New York...............................  Fort Drum.................  Aerial gunnery range Phase II.        9,000
New York...............................  Syracuse ANG..............  Upgrade parking apron.........        9,500
New York...............................  Niagara Falls.............  Maintenance facility..........        3,900
North Carolina.........................  Fort Bragg................  Fences........................        8,300
North Carolina.........................  Seymour Johnson AFB.......  Library.......................        6,100
North Carolina.........................  Seymour Johnson AFB.......  Improve family housing (70            8,000
                                                                      units).                                   
North Carolina.........................  Fort Bragg................  Barracks upgrade..............       10,600
North Dakota...........................  Minot AFB.................  Taxiway repair................        8,500
North Dakota...........................  Grand Forks...............  Add to physical fitness center        8,800
North Dakota...........................  Hector Field..............  Addition to base supply               3,650
                                                                      facility.                                 
Ohio...................................  Springfield-Beckly Airport  Civil engineering facility....        5,000
Ohio...................................  Wright-Patterson AFB......  C-141 simulation facility.....        1,600
Oklahoma...............................  Tinker AFB................  Operations and mobility center       10,800
Oklahoma...............................  Vance AFB.................  Physical fitness center.......        4,400
Oklahoma...............................  Altus AFB.................  Ramp and airfield lighting....        5,300
Oklahoma...............................  Altus AFB.................  Control tower.................        4,000
Pennsylvania...........................  NAVICP Mechanicsburg......  Child development center......        1,600
Pennsylvania...........................  NAVICP Philadelphia.......  Child development center......        1,550
Pennsylvania...........................  NSWC Philadelphia.........  Integrated Ship Control and           2,410
                                                                      Diagnostic facility.                      
Pennsylvania...........................  ARNG Latrobe..............  Readiness center..............        2,479
Pennsylvania...........................  US Army Research Center...  Regimental support facility...       19,512
South Carolina.........................  Charleston AFB............  Housing improvements..........        9,110
South Carolina.........................  MCRD Parris Island........  Female recruit barracks.......        8,030
South Carolina.........................  McEntire ANG Station......  Aircraft maintenance complex..        9,000
South Carolina.........................  Spartanburg...............  Readiness center..............        5,260
South Dakota...........................  Ellsworth AFB.............  Operations facility...........        6,500
South Dakota...........................  Joe Foss Field............  Maintenance and Ground                5,200
                                                                      Equipment Facility.                       
Tennessee..............................  Arnold AFB................  Test facilities cooling tower.       11,600
Tennessee..............................  McGhee-Tyson, ANG Base....  Relocate aircraft parking            10,000
                                                                      apron.                                    
Texas..................................  Fort Bliss................  Overpass......................        4,100
Texas..................................  Dyess AFB.................  B-1B munitions maintenance            3,350
                                                                      facility.                                 
Texas..................................  Dyess AFB.................  Support equipment shop........        1,400
Texas..................................  NAVSTA Ingleside..........  BEQ Phase IV..................       12,200
Texas..................................  Laughlin AFB..............  Base operations facility......        3,815
Texas..................................  Laughlin AFB..............  Control tower.................        3,500
Texas..................................  Fort Sam Houston..........  Dining Facility...............        5,500
Texas..................................  Goodfellow AFB............  Student dormitory.............        7,300
Texas..................................  Sheppard AFB..............  Family Housing................        7,000
Utah...................................  Hill AFB..................  Reserve asset warehouse.......        2,600
Utah...................................  Hill AFB..................  Munitions handling and storage        1,900
                                                                      facility.                                 
Vermont................................  Burlington................  Supply complex................        5,500
Virginia...............................  Fort Meyer................  Barracks renovation...........        6,200
Virginia...............................  NSWC, Dahlgren............  Warfare Defenses Technical           10,550
                                                                      facility.                                 
Virginia...............................  NAS Oceana................  Fitness center................        6,400
Virginia...............................  Fort Lee..................  80 units of family housing....       13,000
Virginia...............................  Fort Eustis...............  Physical fitness center.......        4,650
Washington.............................  Fort Lawton...............  Army Reserve facility.........       10,713
Washington.............................  Bremerton Naval Shipyard..  Community support facility....        4,300
Washington.............................  McChord AFB...............  Medical training facility.....        3,400
Washington.............................  Fairchild AFB.............  Convert dock to washrack              3,700
                                                                      facility.                                 
Washington.............................  Fairchild AFB.............  Training support complex......        3,900
Washington.............................  Whidbey Island NAS........  Improve family housing........        5,800
West Virginia..........................  Camp Dawson...............  Regional Training Institute...       13,595
Wyoming................................  Camp Guernsey.............  Combined support maintenance         13,891
                                                                      shop.                                     
                                                                                                    ------------
      Total............................  ..........................  ..............................      976,773
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I want to thank the Chairman and Ranking 
Member of the Military Construction Subcommittee for their work on this 
Conference Report. Their efforts are vitally important to this nation's 
armed forces and the national defense.
  This Conference Report will benefit military bases and military 
personnel in Connecticut. The Naval Submarine Base in New London, the 
planned Army Reserve center in West Hartford, and the National Guard 
Training Center in Niantic each have projects that will be funded when 
this report becomes law. The total to be spent on these projects will 
be approximately $14 million.
  The Conference Report funds badly needed pier upgrades at the New 
London Naval Submarine Base. The piers at the base were originally 
designed to support SSN 637-class submarines, half of which have been 
decommissioned. The requirements of contemporary submarines have 
overwhelmed these piers. Power outages on the piers occur, on average, 
80 times per year, and the cranes that resupply the submarines outweigh 
the piers' design capacity. This project affects military readiness, 
quality of life and the safety of our personnel.
  The report also includes $1.49 million to take the first step to 
replace an overwhelmed Army Reserve Center building and free the 
government of a

[[Page S9719]]

$100,000 per month lease. Moreover, these funds will begin a much 
needed expansion that will enhance the training and readiness of eight 
Army Reserve units.
  Finally, the report will fund the planning and design of a new 
National Guard training center in Niantic, Connecticut. The present 
facility consists of World War II vintage, temporary wooden structures. 
They do not meet Army standards for classrooms, dining, or billeting. 
The National Guard, however, relies on this training center to serve 
troops from six Northeastern states. Troops of all ranks train at the 
center, and the Army and the Army Reserve use the center as well. The 
funding of the planning and design of the new center is a welcome sign 
to thousands of servicemembers, for it signals a strong commitment from 
the federal government to the National Guard.
  One Connecticut project would have replaced an Air National Guard 
complex in Orange. The poor condition of the present facility severely 
hinders the 103rd Air Control Squadron from accomplishing its mission, 
and the structure suffers from a variety of building code violations. I 
thank my colleagues on the Military Construction Subcommittee for 
including this project in the Senate bill. The project was not funded 
in conference, but I still appreciate the support of Chairman Burns and 
Senator Murray, and I look forward to working with them next year to 
fund this project in Fiscal Year 2000.
  So, I praise the Conference Committee for their work on this report. 
They have made some tough choices--this report allocates $759 million 
less than last year. But they have made those choices with the best 
interests of the U.S. armed forces in mind.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the conference 
report accompanying the military construction appropriations bill. The 
yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. NICKLES. I announce that the Senator from Georgia (Mr. 
Coverdell), the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Domenici), the Senator 
from Texas (Mr. Gramm), the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Murkowski), and 
the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) are necessarily absent.
  I also announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Helms) is 
absent because of illness.
  I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from 
North Carolina (Mr. Helms) and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Coverdell) 
would each vote ``yea.''
  Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Bingaman), 
the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. 
Hollings), and the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Inouye) are necessarily 
absent.
  I further announce that, if present and voting the Senator from South 
Carolina (Mr. Hollings) would vote ``aye.''
  The result was announced--yeas 87, nays 3, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 253 Leg.]

                                YEAS--87

     Abraham
     Akaka
     Allard
     Ashcroft
     Baucus
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bryan
     Bumpers
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Chafee
     Cleland
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Craig
     D'Amato
     Daschle
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Faircloth
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Ford
     Frist
     Gorton
     Graham
     Grams
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hutchinson
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kempthorne
     Kennedy
     Kerrey
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lott
     Lugar
     Mack
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Moseley-Braun
     Moynihan
     Murray
     Nickles
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Roth
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith (NH)
     Smith (OR)
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stevens
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Torricelli
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                                NAYS--3

     Kyl
     McCain
     Robb

                             NOT VOTING--10

     Bingaman
     Coverdell
     Domenici
     Glenn
     Gramm
     Helms
     Hollings
     Inouye
     Murkowski
     Warner
  The conference report was agreed to.

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