[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 166 (Monday, November 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3194, CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS AND 
             DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to explain the Commerce, Justice, 
State, and Judiciary portion of H.R. 3194, making consolidated 
appropriations for fiscal year 2000. The revised conference report for 
the fiscal year 2000 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary 
appropriation was introduced as a separate bill, H.R. 3421, and is 
referenced in the final consolidated appropriations measure, H.R. 3194, 
adopted in the House last Wednesday.
  H.R. 3421 incorporates the conference report for the original bill, 
H.R. 2670, plus additional items negotiated since the veto of the first 
conference report. This is to highlight the changes from House Report 
106-398, the conference report on H.R. 2670.
  Let me first highlight the funding changes.
  H.R. 3421 provides an additional $616,282,000 in funding, after 
scorekeeping adjustments.
  Under the Department of Justice, it provides an additional 
$151,782,000, including the following: (1) $140,000,000 for the COPS 
program--$117,500,000 for hiring, $10,000,000 for community 
prosecutors; and $12,500,000 for management and administration; and it 
moves $130,000,000 for crime identification technology from State and 
Local Law Enforcement to COPS; (2) $10,635,000 for General Legal 
Activities--$10,053,000 for Civil Rights Division; and $582,000 for 
Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United 
States; and (3) $1,147,000 for the U.S. Parole Commission.
  Under the Department of Commerce, it provides an additional 
$45,000,000, including: (1) $30,000,000 for NOAA Operations, Research 
and Facilities--$5,000,000 for the Pacific Salmon Treaty, $6,000,000 
for coral reefs, $5,500,000 for Marine Sanctuaries, $2,000,000 for 
fisheries habitat restoration, $11,000,000 for Endangered Species Act 
activities, and $500,000 for GLOBE; (2) $7,000,000 for NOAA 
Procurement, Acquisition and Construction--$3,000,000 for Marine 
Sanctuaries, and $4,000,000 for National Estuarine Research Reserves; 
and (3) $8,000,000 for the Pacific Salmon Recovery Fund--$4,000,000 for 
Tribes and $2,000,000 each for California and Oregon.
  Under the Department of State, it provides an additional 
$347,000,000, including: (1) $47,000,000 for Diplomatic and Consular 
Programs--$5,000,000 for the Pacific Salmon Treaty; and $42,000,000 for 
activities in the Kosovo region and the WTO ministerial, with up to 
$5,000,000 for the latter; and (2) $300,000,000 for Contributions for 
International Peacekeeping.
  For Related Agencies, it provides an additional $81,500,000, 
including: (1) $3,000,000 for the Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission; (2) $5,000,000 for the Legal Services Corporation; (3) 
$36,000,000 for SBA Salaries and Expenses, and an additional 
$10,500,000 for the New Markets initiative, subject to authorization; 
(4) $6,000,000 for SBA Business Loans for the New Markets initiative, 
subject to authorization; and (5) $21,000,000 for SBA Disaster Loans, 
in response to the demand on the program in large part due to Hurricane 
Floyd.
  There were also a number of language provisions that changed:
  Two Department of State General Provisions relating to Jerusalem were 
dropped; and
  Several provisions were revised, including:
  Section 108, dealing with the reorganization of Office of Justice 
programs;
  Census framework language;
  Under State Department Diplomatic and Consular programs, a new 
provision allowing transfer of not to exceed $4,500,000 to 
International Broadcasting Operations to avoid Voice of America 
personnel reductions;
  State Contributions to International Organizations and Arrearages 
provisions;
  Section 623, dealing with Pacific Salmon authorizations;
  Section 626, dealing with discrimination or denigration of religious 
beliefs; and
  Section 627, dealing with visa prohibitions related to countries 
refusing to take returnees.
  The listing of these changes is intended to highlight the differences 
between the vetoed conference report and the final conference report, 
and a description of these changes is included in the Statement of 
Managers accompanying the conference report for H.R. 3194, which 
describes the final agreement for the entire Commerce, Justice, State, 
and Judiciary Appropriations measures.