[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 1999)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D335-D337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                          Wednesday, March 24, 1999

[[Page D335]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      The House passed H.R. 1141, Emergency Supplemental 
      Appropriations.
      The House agreed to H. Res. 130, expressing support for the U.S. 
      Armed Forces who are engaged in military operations against the 
      Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S3159-S3308
Measures Introduced: Twenty bills and one resolution were introduced as 
follows: S. 693-712, and S. Res. 74.
  Page S3246
Measures Passed:
  National School Violence Victims' Memorial Day: Committee on the 
Judiciary was discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 53, to 
designate March 24, 1999, as ``National School Violence Victims' 
Memorial Day'', and the resolution was then agreed.
  Pages S3180-82
  Chapter 12 U.S.C. Extension: Senate passed H.R. 808, to extend for 3 
additional months the period for which chapter 12 of title 11 of the 
United States Code is reenacted, clearing the measure for the 
President.
  Page S3299
  Small Business Authorization: Senate passed H.R. 774, to amend the 
Small Business Act to change the conditions of participation and 
provide an authorization of appropriations for the women's business 
center program, clearing the measure for the President. 
                                                      Pages S3299-S3300
  Smithsonian Board of Regents Appointment: Senate passed H.J. Res. 26, 
providing for the reappointment of Barber B. Conable, Jr. as a citizen 
regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, clearing 
the measure for the President.
  Page S3300
  Smithsonian Board of Regents Appointment: Senate passed H.J. Res. 27, 
providing for the reappointment of Dr. Hanna H. Gray as a citizen 
regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, clearing 
the measure for the President.
  Page S3300
  Smithsonian Board of Regents Appointment: Senate passed H.J. Res. 28, 
providing for the reappointment of Wesley S. Williams, Jr. as a citizen 
regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, clearing 
the measure for the President.
  Page S3300
  Support for Armed Forces in Yugoslavia: Senate agreed to S. Res. 74, 
expressing the support of the Senate for the members of the United 
States Armed Forces who are engaged in military operations against the 
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
  Page S3300
Congressional Budget: Senate began consideration of S. Con. Res. 20, 
setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government 
for fiscal years 2000 through 2009, taking action on the following 
amendments proposed thereto:
  Pages S3161-80, S3182-S3240, S3301-08
Adopted:
  By a unanimous vote of 99 yeas (Vote No. 58), Abraham Amendment No. 
143, to express the sense of Congress on the protection of Social 
Security surpluses for current and future beneficiaries. 
                                         Pages S3177-80 S3182-86, S3195
  Smith (of Oregon)/Sarbanes Amendment No. 152, to express the sense of 
the Senate on providing adequate funding for United States 
international leadership.
Pages S3218-20
  By a unanimous vote of 99 yeas (Vote No. 60), Ashcroft Amendment No. 
145, to express the sense of the Senate that the Federal Government 
should not directly invest the social security trust funds in private 
financial markets.
Pages S3197-99, S3225
  By a unanimous vote of 99 yeas (Vote No. 63), Johnson Amendment No. 
153, to increase funding in fiscal year 2000 for veterans health care 
by taking

[[Page D336]]

an across-the-board cut in all discretionary programs, except for 
veterans and defense.
Pages S3220-23, S3226-27
  Collins Amendment No. 159, to express the sense of the Senate on 
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) funding and the 
States.
Pages S3231-32
Rejected:
  Bond Amendment No. 151, in the nature of a substitute. (By 97 yeas to 
2 nays (Vote No. 62), Senate tabled the amendment.) 
                                                  Pages S3214-18, S3226
Pending:
  Specter/Harkin Amendment No. 157, to provide for funding of 
biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health. 
                                               Pages S3223-25, S3228-31
  Craig Amendment No. 146, to modify the pay-as-you-go requirement of 
the budget process to require that direct spending increases be offset 
only with direct spending decreases.
Page S3228
  Dodd Amendment No. 160, to increase the mandatory spending in the 
Child Care and Development Block Grant by $7.5 billion over five years, 
the amendment reduces the resolution's tax cut and leaves adequate room 
in the revenue instructions for targeted tax cuts that help families 
with the costs of caring for their children, and that such relief would 
assist all working families with employment related child care 
expenses, as well as families in which one parent stays home to care 
for an infant.
Pages S3232-34
  Voinovich Amendment No. 161, to use on-budget surplus to repay the 
debt instead of tax cuts.
Pages S3234-36
  Reed Amendment No. 162, to provide for certain Federal revenues, 
total new budget authority, and total budget outlays.
Pages S3236-38
  Crapo/Grams Amendment No. 163, to create a reserve fund to lock in 
additional non-Social Security surplus in the outyears for tax relief 
and/or debt reduction.
Pages S3238-40
  Graham Amendment No. 164, to express the sense of the Senate that 
funds recovered from any Federal tobacco-related litigation should be 
set-aside for the purpose of first strengthening the medicare trust 
fund and second to fund a medicare prescription drug benefit. 
                                                         Pages S3301-03
  Graham Amendment No. 165, to express the sense of the Senate that the 
Congress and the President should offset inappropriate emergency 
funding from fiscal year 1999 in fiscal year 1999.
Pages S3303-05
  Lautenberg Amendment No. 166, to express the sense of the Senate on 
saving Social Security and Medicare, reducing the public debt, and 
targeting tax relief to middle-income working families. 
                                                         Pages S3305-06
  Lautenberg (for Schumer) Amendment No. 167, to express the sense of 
the Senate that the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program 
should be reauthorized in order to provide continued Federal funding 
for the hiring, deployment, and retention of community law enforcement 
officers.
Page S3306
  Lautenberg (for Feinstein) Amendment No. 168, to express the sense of 
the Senate regarding school construction grants, and reducing school 
sizes and class sizes.
Page S3306
  Lautenberg (for Feinstein) Amendment No. 169, to express the sense of 
the Senate on the social promotion of elementary and secondary school 
students.
Page S3306
  Lautenberg (for Reid) Amendment No. 170, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding social security ``notch babies'', those individuals 
born between the years 1917 and 1926.
Page S3306
  Lautenberg (for Boxer) Amendment No. 171, to ensure that the 
President's after school initiative is fully funded for fiscal year 
2000.
Page S3306
  Lautenberg (for Murray) Amendment No. 172, to fully fund the Class 
Size Initiative, the amendment reduces the resolution's tax cut by ten 
billion dollars, leaving adequate room in the revenue reconciliation 
instructions for targeted tax cuts that help those in need and tax 
breaks for communities to modernize and rebuild crumbling schools. 
                                                         Pages S3306-07
  Lautenberg (for Murray) Amendment No. 173, to express the sense of 
the Senate on women and Social Security reform.
Page S3307
  Lautenberg (for Hollings) Amendment No. 174, to continue Federal 
spending at the current services baseline levels and pay down the 
Federal debt.
Pages S3307-08
  Lautenberg (for Boxer) Amendment No. 175, to ensure that the 
substantial majority of any income tax cuts go to middle and lower 
income taxpayers.
Page S3308
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  Three-fifths of those Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted 
in the affirmative, Senate rejected motions to waive certain provisions 
of the Congressional Budget Act with respect to the consideration of 
the following amendments:
  By 45 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 59), Lautenberg Amendment No. 144, to 
ensure that Congress saves Social Security and strengthens Medicare 
before using projected budget surpluses for new spending or tax breaks.
                                               Pages S3187-88, S3191-96
  By 45 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 61), Conrad Amendment No. 147, to use 
any Federal budget surplus to save Social Security and Medicare first. 
                                            Pages S3199-S3214, S3225-26

[[Page D337]]


  Subsequently, a point of order that the amendments were in violation 
of the Congressional Budget Act was sustained, and the amendments thus 
fell.
                                                             Page S3326
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the budget resolution and amendments to be proposed 
thereto, on Thursday, March 25, 1999.
                                                             Page S3328
  A further unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that when 
the Senate resumes consideration of the budget resolution on Thursday, 
March 25, 1999, there be 10 hours remaining.
                                                             Page S3224
Executive Reports of Committees: Senate received the following 
executive report of a committee:
  Report to accompany the Convention on Nuclear Safety done at Vienna 
on September 20, 1994 (Treaty Doc. 104-6). (Exec. Rept. No. 106-1) 
                                                         Pages S3244-45
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  William Lacy Swing, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador to the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  Robert A. Seiple, of Washington, to be Ambassador at Large for 
International Religious Freedom.
  The following-named Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, 
Class of Career Minister, for the personal rank of Career Ambassador in 
recognition of especially distinguished service over a sustained 
period:
  Mary A. Ryan, of Texas.
  A routine list in the Foreign Service.
                                                     Pages S3301, S3308
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  William Haskell Alsup, of California, to be United States District 
Judge for the Northern District of California.
  J. Rich Leonard, of North Carolina, to be United States District 
Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
  Carlos Murguia, of Kansas, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Kansas.
  Marsha J. Pechman, of Washington, to be United States District Judge 
for the Western District of Washington.
  Routine lists in the Foreign Service.
                                                             Page S3308
Messages From the House:
  Pages S3242-43
Measures Referred:
  Page S3243
Measures Placed on Calendar:
  Page S3243
Communications:
  Pages S3243-44
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Pages S3244-45
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S3246-76
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S3276-77
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S3277-90
Notices of Hearings:
  Page S3290
Authority for Committees:
  Pages S3290-91
Additional Statements:
  Pages S3291-99
Record Votes: Six record votes were taken today. (Total--63). 
                                               Pages S3195-96, S3225-26
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:30 a.m., and adjourned at 11:24 p.m., 
until 9 a.m., on Thursday, March 25, 1999. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
3301.)