[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 126 (Friday, September 24, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11444-S11445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED

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 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000

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                DASCHLE (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 1790

  Mr. DASCHLE (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Harkin, and Mrs. Murray) 
proposed an amendment to the bill (H.R. 2684) making appropriations for 
the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, 
and for sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, 
and offices for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for 
other purposes; as follows:

       On page 113, between lines 16 and 17, insert the following:

     SEC. __. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:
       (1) The American people know that a strong public education 
     system is vital to our Nation's future and they 
     overwhelmingly support increasing the Federal investment in 
     education.
       (2) The funding level for the Subcommittee on Labor, Health 
     and Human Services, and Education of the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate has been reduced to pay for 
     other programs.
       (3) The current allocation for the Subcommittee on Labor, 
     Health and Human Services, and Education of the Committee on 
     Appropriations is 17 percent below fiscal year 1999 levels.
       (4) The 17 percent reduction in Head Start will result in 
     142,000 children not being served.
       (5) The 17 percent reduction will cost school districts the 
     funds for 5,246 newly hired teachers.
       (6) The 17 percent reduction will deprive 50,000 students 
     of access to after-school and summer school programs.
       (7) The 17 percent reduction in funding for the Individuals 
     with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will make it far more 
     difficult for States to provide an appropriate education for 
     students with disabilities by reducing funding by more than 
     $880,000,000.
       (8) The 17 percent reduction will deprive 2,100,000 
     children in high-poverty communities of educational services 
     to help them do well in school and master the basics.
       (9) The 17 percent reduction will result in 1,000 fewer 
     school districts receiving support for their initiatives to 
     integrate technology into their classrooms.
       (10) The 17 percent reduction will deny nearly 200,000 
     disadvantaged and middle-income students access to counseling 
     and educational support to help them succeed in college.
       (11) The 17 percent reduction will reduce funds provided to 
     schools to improve school safety by nearly $100,000,000.
       (12) The 17 percent reduction will cause 100,000 students 
     to lose their Federal Pell Grant awards.
       (13) No action has been taken in the Senate on the 
     Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
     Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000.
       (14) There are only 5 legislative work days left before the 
     end of fiscal year 2000.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that--
       (1) the Senate should increase the Federal investment in 
     education, including providing--
       (A) $1,400,000,000 for the second year of the initiative to 
     reduce class sizes in early grades by hiring 100,000 
     qualified teachers;
       (B) an increase in support for programs that recruit, 
     train, and provide professional development for, teachers;
       (C) $600,000,000 for after-school programs, thereby 
     tripling the current investment;
       (D) an increase, not a decrease, in funding for the Safe 
     and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994;
       (E) an increase in funding for part A of title I of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for children 
     from disadvantaged backgrounds, and an increase in funding 
     for reading and literacy grants under part C of title II of 
     such Act;
       (F) an increase, not a decrease, in funding for the 
     Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;
       (G) funding for a larger maximum Federal Pell Grant award 
     for college students, and an increase in funding for 
     mentoring and other need-based programs;
       (H) an increase, not a decrease, in funds available to help 
     schools use technology effectively in the classroom and 
     narrow the technology gap; and
       (I) at least $3,700,000,000 in Federal resources to help 
     communities leverage funds to modernize public school 
     facilities; and
       (2) the Senate should stay within the discretionary 
     spending caps and avoid using the resources of the social 
     security program by finding discretionary spending offsets 
     that do not jeopardize important investments in other key 
     programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on 
     Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education of the 
     Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
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                  ROBB (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 1791

  Mr. ROBB (for himself, Mr. Warner, and Mr. DeWine) proposed an 
amendment to the bill, H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC.   . SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING AERONAUTICS RESEARCH.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds the following:
       (1) Every aircraft worldwide uses and benefits from NASA 
     technology.
       (2) Aeronautical research has fostered the establishment of 
     a safe, affordable air transportation system that is second 
     to none.
       (3) Fundamental research in aeronautics is not being 
     supported anywhere in the country outside of NASA.
       (4) The Department of Transportation predicts that air 
     traffic will triple over the next twenty years, exacerbating 
     current noise and safety problems at already overcrowded 
     airports. New aeronautics advancements need to be developed 
     if costs are to be contained and the safety and quality of 
     our air infrastructure is to be improved.
       (5) Our military would not dominate the skies without 
     robust investments in aeronautics research and development.
       (6) Technology transferred from NASA aeronautics research 
     to the commercial sector has created billions of dollars in 
     economic growth.
       (7) The American aeronautics industry is the top 
     contributor to the U.S. balance of trade, with a net 
     contribution of more than $41 billion in 1998.
       (8) Less than ten years ago, American airplane producers 
     controlled over 70% of the global market for commercial 
     aviation.
       (9) America's dominance in the world's civil aviation 
     market is being challenged by foreign companies like Airbus, 
     which now has approximately 50% of the world's civil aviation 
     market, and is aiming to capture 70%.
       (10) The rise of foreign competition in the global aviation 
     market has coincided with decreases in NASA's aeronautics 
     research budget and a corresponding increase in European 
     investment.
       (11) NASA's aeronautics laboratories have the research 
     facilities, including wind tunnels, and technical expertise 
     to conduct the cutting-edge scientific inquiry needed to 
     advance state-of-the-art military and civil aircraft.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that the United States should increase its commitment to 
     aeronautics research funding.
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                      FEINSTEIN AMENDMENT NO. 1792

  Ms. MIKULSKI (for Mrs. Feinstein) proposed an amendment to the bill, 
H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS.

       Not later than May 1, 2000, in administering the 
     underground storage tank program under subtitle I of the 
     Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6991 et seq.), the 
     Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall 
     develop a plan (including cost estimates)--
       (1) to identify underground storage tanks that are not in 
     compliance with subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 6991 et seq.) (including regulations);
       (2) to identify underground storage tanks in temporary 
     closure;
       (3) to determine the ownership of underground storage tanks 
     described in paragraphs (1) and (2);
       (4) to determine the plans of owners and operators of 
     underground storage tanks described in paragraphs (1) and (2) 
     to bring the underground storage tanks into compliance or out 
     of temporary closure; and
       (5) in a case in which the owner of an underground storage 
     tank described in paragraph (1) or (2) cannot be identified--
       (A) to bring the underground storage tank into compliance; 
     or
       (B) to permanently close the underground storage tank.
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                        SMITH AMENDMENT NO. 1793

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mr. Smith of Oregon) proposed an amendment to the 
bill, H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in the bill, insert: ``The comment 
     period on the proposed rules related to section 303(d) of the 
     Clean Water Act published at 64 Federal Register 46012 and 
     46058 (August 23, 1999) shall be extended from October 22, 
     1999, for a period of no less than 90 additional calendar 
     days.''

[[Page S11445]]

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                       BREAUX AMENDMENT NO. 1794

  Ms. MIKULSKI (for Mr. Breaux) proposed an amendment to the bill, H.R. 
2684, supra; as follows:

       Section 4(a) of the Act of August 9, 1950 (16 U.S.C. 
     777c(a)), is amended in the second sentence by striking of 
     ``1999'' and inserting ``2000''.
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                 CHAFEE (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 1795

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mr. Chafee (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Ms. Snowe, 
Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
Bingaman, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Roth, Mrs. Boxer, and Mr. 
Grams) proposed an amendment to the bill, H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       On page 78, line 20, strike ``$1,885,000,000'' and insert 
     ``$1,897,000,00''.
       On page 78, line 21, before the colon, insert the 
     following: ``, and of which not less than $12,000,000 shall 
     be derived from pro rata transfers of amounts made available 
     under each other heading under the heading ``Environmental 
     Protection Agency'' and shall be available for the Montreal 
     Protocol Fund''.
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                        GRAMM AMENDMENT NO. 1796

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mr. Gramm) proposed an amendment to the bill, H.R. 
2684, supra; as follows:

       On page 45, line 9, strike ``$16,000,000'' and insert in 
     lieu thereof, ``$19,493,000''.
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                 DODD (AND BENNETT) AMENDMENT NO. 1797

  Ms. MIKULSKI (for Mr. Dodd (for himself and Mr. Bennett)) proposed an 
amendment to the bill, H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place under the heading Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency, insert: ``For expenses related 
     to Year 2000 conversion costs for counties and local 
     governments, $100,000,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2001: Provided, That the Director of the 
     Federal Emergency Management Agency shall carry out a Year 
     2000 conversion local government emergency grant and loan 
     program for the purpose of providing emergency funds through 
     grants or loans of not to exceed $1,000,000 for each county 
     and local government that is facing Year 2000 conversion 
     failures after January 1, 2000 that could adversely affect 
     public health and safety: Provided further, That of the funds 
     made available to a county or local government under this 
     provision, 50 percent shall be a grant and 50 percent shall 
     be a loan which shall be repaid to the Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency at the prime rate within five years of the 
     loan: Provided further, That none of the funds provided under 
     this heading may be transferred to any county or local 
     government until fifteen days after the Director of the 
     Federal Emergency Management Agency has submitted to the 
     House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, the Senate 
     Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, the 
     House Committee on Science, and the House Committee on 
     Government Reform a proposed allocation and plan for that 
     county or local government to achieve Year 2000 compliance 
     for systems directly related to public health and safety 
     programs: Provided further, That the entire amount shall be 
     available only to the extent that an official budget request 
     that includes designation of the entire amount of the request 
     as an emergency requirement as defined in the Balanced Budget 
     and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, is 
     transmitted by the President to the Congress: Provided 
     further, That the entire amount is designated by the Congress 
     as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) 
     of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985, as amended: Provided further, That of the amounts 
     provided under the heading ``Funds Appropriated to the 
     President'' in Title III of Division B of the Omnibus 
     Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 
     1999 (Public Law 105-277), $100,000,000 are rescinded''.
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                BOND (AND LAUTENBERG) AMENDMENT NO. 1798

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mr. Bond (for himself and Mr. Lautenberg)) proposed 
an amendment to the bill, H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       On page 113, line 14, strike out ``in any way tends'' and 
     insert in lieu thereof: ``is designed''.
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                        BOND AMENDMENT NO. 1799

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mr. Bond) proposed an amendment to the bill, H.R. 
2684, supra; as follows:

       On page 44, insert before the period on line 10 the 
     following: ``: Provided further, That the Secretary may not 
     reduce the staffing level at any Department of Housing and 
     Urban Development state or local office''.
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                      HUTCHISON AMENDMENT NO. 1800

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mrs. Hutchison) proposed an amendment to the bill, 
H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. PROMULGATION OF STORMWATER REGULATIONS.

       (a) Stormwater Regulations.--The Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency shall not promulgate the 
     Phase II stormwater regulations described in subsection (a) 
     until the Administrator submits to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report 
     containing--
       (1) an in-depth impact analysis on the effect the final 
     regulations will have on urban, suburban, and rural local 
     governments subject to the regulations, including an estimate 
     of--
       (A) the costs of complying with the 6 minimum control 
     measures described in the regulations; and
       (B) the costs resulting from the lowering of the 
     construction threshold from 5 acres to 1 acre;
       (2) an explanation of the rationale of the Administrator 
     for lowering the construction site threshold from 5 acres to 
     1 acre, including--
       (A) an explanation, in light of recent court decisions, of 
     why a 1-acre measure is any less arbitrarily determined than 
     a 5-acre measure; and
       (B) all qualitative information used in determining an acre 
     threshold for a construction site;
       (3) documentation demonstrating that stormwater runoff is 
     generally a problem in communities with populations of 50,000 
     to 100,000 (including an explanation of why the coverage of 
     the regulation is based on a census-determined population 
     instead of a water quality threshold);
       (4) information that supports the position of the 
     Administrator that the Phase II stormwater program should be 
     administered as part of the National Pollutant Discharge 
     Elimination System under section 402 of the Federal Water 
     Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1342); and
       (b) Phase I Regulations--No later than 120 days after 
     enactment of this Act, the Environmental Protection Agency 
     shall submit to the Senate Environment and Public Works 
     Committee a report containing--
       (1) a detailed explanation of the impact, if any, that the 
     Phase I program has had in improving water quality in the 
     United States (including a description of specific measures 
     that have been successful and those that have been 
     unsuccessful).
       (c) Federal Register.--The reports described in subsections 
     (a) and (b) shall be published in the Federal Register for 
     public comment.
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                      COVERDELL AMENDMENT NO. 1801

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mr. Coverdell) proposed an amendment to the bill, 
H.R. 2684, supra; as follows:

       On page 38, line three, insert before the period the 
     following: ``: Provided further, That no amounts made 
     available to provide housing assistance with respect to the 
     purchase of any single family real property owned by the 
     Secretary or the Federal Housing Administration may 
     discriminate between public and private elementary and 
     secondary school teachers'';
       On page 40, line two, insert before the period the 
     following: ``: Provided further, That no amounts made 
     available to provide housing assistance with respect to the 
     purchase of any single family real property owned by the 
     Secretary or the Federal Housing Administration may 
     discriminate between public and private elementary and 
     secondary school teachers''.
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                        CRAIG AMENDMENT NO. 1802

  Mr. STEVENS (for Mr. Craig) proposed an amendment to the bill, H.R. 
2684, supra; as follows:

       On page 113, between lines 16 and 17, insert the following:

     SEC. 4  . PESTICIDE TOLERANCE FEES.

       None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available 
     by this Act shall be used to promulgate a final regulation to 
     implement changes in the payment of pesticide tolerance 
     processing fees as proposed at 64 Fed. Reg. 31040, or any 
     similar proposals. The Environmental Protection Agency may 
     proceed with the development of such a rule.

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