[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S10527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--H.R. 1905

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that when 
the Senate receives from the House the conference report to accompany 
H.R. 1905, it be considered and agreed to, the motion to consider be 
laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the conference 
report be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I will be pleased to join the Chairman 
of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Bennett, 
in presenting to the Senate what I believe is a very good conference 
agreement on the Fiscal Year 2000 budget.
  Under the strong leadership of Chairman Bennett, as well as Mr. 
Taylor, the House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman, and Mr. Pastor, 
the Ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee, we were able to work 
our differences in a way that ensures that the essential functions for 
which appropriations are contained in this bill are able to continue 
their operations and to carry out their responsibilities efficiently 
and without any diminution of service.
  In all, the recommendations that we are presenting today total just 
over $2.45 billion, almost $21 million below the Subcommittee's 
allocation. In reaching compromises on the various issues in the 
conference, Chairman Bennett was very careful to ensure that the cuts 
did not unnecessarily impair the programs where those cut were taken. I 
shared the concerns of the Chairman that these reductions be carefully 
considered as to their effects, before they were agreed to.
  In his statement, Chairman Bennett has already laid out to the Senate 
the details of the conference agreement, which I will not repeat at 
this time.
  I wish to congratulate the Chairman, Senator Bennett, for his hard 
work throughout the year on this bill. This was my first year to serve 
as the Ranking Member of this important Subcommittee, and Senator 
Bennett could not have been more helpful to me and my staff. It has 
been a real pleasure to work at his side on this bill and I look 
forward to continuing to work with him on all matters that are in the 
jurisdiction of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee.
  Finally, Mr. President, I thank the staff who have worked so 
diligently throughout the year in assisting Chairman Bennett and 
myself--Mary Dewald, who recently left the Committee staff, Edie 
Stanley, her successor, and Jim English, as well as Chris Kierig of my 
staff. They, together with Christine Ciccone, the Majority Clerk of the 
Subcommittee, and Chip Yost of Senator Bennett's staff, have carried 
out their responsibilities in their usual, highly professional manner. 
Our staffs work together, as do Chairman Bennett and I, in a non-
partisan way so that the decisions that we have made throughout the 
year have been reached based on objective considerations, rather than 
partisanship.
  Mr. President, I urge adoption of this conference report.

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