[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D163-D164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                       Wednesday, February 24, 1999

[[Page D163]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen's and Marines' Bill of 
      Rights Act.
      Senate agreed to Committee Expenditures Authorization Resolution.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S1847-S1970
Measures Introduced: Eighteen bills and two resolutions were 
introduced, as follows: S. 448-465, S. Res. 49, and S. Con. Res.13. 
                                                         Pages S1925-26
Measures Passed:
  Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen's and Marines' Bill of Rights Act: By 91 
yeas to 8 nays (Vote No. 26), Senate passed S. 4, to improve pay and 
retirement equity for members of the Armed Forces, taking action on the 
following amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S1847-S1911
Adopted:
  By 94 yeas to 6 nays (Vote No. 22), Sarbanes/Warner Amendment No. 19, 
to express the sense of Congress that there should continue to be 
parity between the adjustments in the compensation of members of the 
uniformed services and the adjustments in the compensation of civilian 
employees of the United States.
Pages S1848-49
  By a unanimous vote of 100 yeas (Vote No. 23), Cleland Amendment No. 
6, to permit members of the Ready Reserve to contribute to the Thrift 
Savings Plan for compensation attributable to their service in the 
Ready Reserve.
Pages S1848-49
  Rockefeller Amendment No. 21, to provide for the availability of 
Montgomery GI Bill benefits for preparatory courses for college and 
graduate school admission exams.
Pages S1850-51
  Warner/Allard Amendment No. 22, to make certain technical 
corrections.
Page S1851
  Bingaman Amendment No. 24, to state the sense of the Senate regarding 
the processing of claims for veterans' benefits.
Pages S1856-57
  Landrieu (for Feingold) Amendment No. 25, to amend title 37, United 
States Code, to ensure equitable treatment of members of the National 
Guard and the other reserve components of the United States with regard 
to eligibility to receive special duty assignment pay.
Pages S1861-62
  Jeffords Amendment No. 12, to authorize payment on an accelerated 
basis of educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve 
under chapter 1606 of title 10, United States Code.
Pages S1862-63
  Jeffords Amendment No. 13, to modify the time in which certain 
members of the Selected Reserve may use their entitlement to 
educational assistance under chapter 1606 of title 10, United States 
Code.
Pages S1862-63
  Wellstone Modified Amendment No. 27, to amend title 38, United States 
Code, to expand the list of diseases presumed to be service-connected 
with respect to radiation-exposed veterans.
Pages S1880-83
  Warner (for Coverdell/McCain) Amendment No. 28, to express the sense 
of the Senate that members of the uniformed services who are on duty 
outside the United States and privileged to an automatic 2-month 
extension of the deadline for filing tax returns should not be 
penalized by the Internal Revenue Service for using such extension. 
                                                         Pages S1883-84
  Rockefeller Amendment No. 26, to amend title XVIII of the Social 
Security Act to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a demonstration 
project to provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with medicare 
reimbursement for medicare health-care services provided to certain 
medicare-eligible veterans. (By a unanimous vote of 100 nays (Vote No. 
24), Senate earlier failed to table the amendment.) 
                                        Pages S1868-73, S1891, S1895-96
  Harkin/Bingaman Modified Amendment No. 23, to require the 
implementation of the Department of Defense special supplemental 
nutrition program.
Pages S1851-54, S1894-97

[[Page D164]]


  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 80 yeas to 20 nays (Vote No. 25), Senate sustained a point of 
order against Graham Amendment No. 29, to provide for an extension of 
hazardous substance superfund taxes, to modify certain foreign tax 
credit carryback and carryover periods, and to provide for an extension 
of oil spill liability taxes, as being in violation of the 
Constitution, and the amendment thus fell.
Pages S1892-94, S1897-98
  Committee Operating Expenditures: Senate agreed to S. Res. 49, 
authorizing expenditures by committee of the Senate for the period 
March 1, 1999 through September 30, 1999.
  Pages S1966-70
Human Rights in China--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was 
reached providing for the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged 
from further consideration of S. Res. 45, expressing the sense of the 
Senate regarding the human rights situation in the People's Republic of 
China, and the Senate proceed to its consideration, with a vote to 
occur thereon, at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 25, 1999.
  Pages S1864
Appointments:
  U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: The Chair, on 
behalf of the Vice President, pursuant to the provisions of Public Law 
99-93, as amended by Public Law 99-151, appointed Senators Grassley, 
DeWine, Abraham, and Sessions as members of the United States Senate 
Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
  Page S1966
Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing for the Committee on Governmental Affairs be allowed to 
continue consideration until March 17, 1999 of the nomination of David 
C. Williams, of Maryland, to be Inspector General for Tax 
Administration, Department of the Treasury.
  Page S1966
Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing that when the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
reports the nomination of Rose Eilene Gottemoeller, of Virginia, to be 
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Non-Proliferation and National 
Security, the nomination be sequentially referred to the Committee on 
Armed Services for a period not to exceed 30 days.
  Page S1966
Messages From the House:
  Page S1924
Measures Referred:
  Page S1924
Measures Placed on Calendar:
  Page S1924
Communications:
  Pages S1924-25
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S1925
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S1926-50
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S1950-52
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S1955-59
Authority for Committees:
  Pages S1959-60
Additional Statements:
  Pages S1960-66
Record Votes: Five record votes were taken today. (Total--26) 
                                           Pages S1849, S1896, S1898-99
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m. and adjourned at 6:55 p.m., 
until 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 25, 1999. (For Senate's program, 
see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S1966.)