[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 43 (Friday, April 7, 2000)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D332-D334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                              Friday, April 7, 2000

[[Page D332]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate agreed to the Congressional Budget Resolution.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S2383-S2447
Measures Introduced: Two bills and two resolutions were introduced, as 
follows: S. 2381-2382, and S. Res. 283-284.                  
  Page S2438
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 2382, to authorize appropriations for technical assistance for 
fiscal year 2001, to promote trade anti-corruption measures. (S. Rept. 
No. 106-257)                                                 
Page S2438
Measures Passed:
  Congressional Budget Resolution: By 51 yeas to 45 nays (Vote No. 79), 
Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 290, establishing the congressional 
budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2001, revising 
the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal 
year 2000, and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for each of 
fiscal years 2002 through 2005, after striking all after the resolving 
clause and inserting in lieu thereof the text of S. Con. Res. 101, 
Senate companion measure, as amended, and after taking action on the 
following amendments proposed thereto:                
  Pages S2384-S2432
Adopted:
  Santorum Amendment No. 3058, to express the sense of the Senate 
supporting additional funding for fiscal year 2001 for medical care for 
our nation's veterans.                                       
Page S2384
  By a unanimous vote of 100 yeas (Vote No. 66), Craig Amendment No. 
3074 (to Amendment No. 2934), of a perfecting nature.    
Pages S2387-88
  Johnson Amendment No. 2934, to increase funding for veterans health 
care.                                                    
Pages S2386-88
  Ashcroft Amendment No. 2946, to express the sense of the Senate 
concerning the investment of the social security trust funds. 
                                                         Pages S2388-89
  Mikulski Amendment No. 2956, to express the sense of the Senate 
concerning an increase in funding for digital opportunity.   
Page S2389
  Smith (N.H.) Amendment No. 3031, to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding the type of medicare prescription drug benefit that Congress 
should pass.                                             
Pages S2389-90
  By a vote of 51 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 69), Kennedy Amendment No. 
2939, to reduce the GOP tax cut by less than 1 percent in fiscal year 
2001, and 1.8 percent over 5 years, to increase the Pell grant maximum 
by total of $400, raising the basic Pell grant from the current $3,300 
to $3,700.                                               
Pages S2391-93
  Voinovich Amendment No. 3075 (to Amendment No. 2984), to express the 
sense of the Senate with regard to the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act. (By 47 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 72), Senate earlier 
failed to table the amendment.)                       
Pages S2399-S2400
  Jeffords Amendment No. 2984, to provide full funding for Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act.                      
Pages S2396-S2400
  Edwards (for Torricelli) Modified Amendment No. 3001, to provide 
$250,000,000 in economic development aid to assist communities in re-
building from Hurricane Floyd.                               
Page S2400
  Specter Amendment No. 2994, to increase discretionary health funding 
by $1,600,000,000.                                       
Pages S2400-02
  Stevens Amendment No. 3003, to establish a reserve fund for early 
learning and parent support programs.                    
Pages S2404-05
  By a vote of 54 yeas to 46 nays (Vote No. 74), Craig Amendment No. 
3077 (to Amendment No. 2954), to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding the enforcement of Federal firearms laws. 
                                               Pages S2403-04, S2405-06
  Durbin/Schumer Amendment No. 2954, to provide adequate funding for a 
gun enforcement initiative to add 500 new federal ATF agents and 
inspectors and fund over 1,000 new federal, state, and local 
prosecutors to take dangerous gun offenders off the streets. 
                                                  Pages S2402-04, S2406

[[Page D333]]


  Smith (NH) Modified Amendment No. 3028, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding the census.                                 
                                                             Page S2406
  By a vote of 51 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 75) Nickles Amendment No. 
3078 (to Amendment No. 2951), to express the sense of the Senate that 
any increase in the minimum wage should be accompanied by tax relief 
for small businesses.                                    
                                                         Pages S2406-07
  By a vote of 51 yeas to 48 nays (Vote No. 76) Reid (for Kennedy) 
Amendment No. 3079 (to Amendment 2951), to express the sense of the 
Senate concerning an increase in the Federal minimum wage. 
                                                         Pages S2407-08
  Kennedy Amendment No. 2951, to express the sense of the Senate 
concerning an increase in the Federal minimum wage.      
                                                         Pages S2406-08
  Landrieu Amendment No. 2979, to express the sense of Congress on the 
sufficiency of the funding in the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget 
for fiscal year 2001 for allowing members of the Armed Forces to 
participate in the Thrift Savings Plan.                      
                                                             Page S2408
  Kohl Amendment No. 2941, to strike the reserve fund for allocation of 
any additional surplus forecast by the Congressional Budget Office in 
July to the Committee on Finance for tax cuts.           
                                                         Pages S2408-10
  Fitzgerald Amendment No. 2961, to express the sense of the Senate 
that the Social Security trust funds should be protected through 
sequestration.                                               
                                                             Page S2410
  Reed Amendment No. 3037, to express the sense of the Senate that 
Congress should grant the Food and Drug Administration the authority to 
regulate tobacco products.                               
                                                         Pages S2410-11
  Boxer Amendment No. 2911, to express the sense of the Senate 
regarding after school programs.                             
                                                             Page S2414
  Harkin Modified Amendment No. 3073, to express the sense of the 
Senate regarding protection of workers whose employers convert to cash 
balance pension plans.                                   
                                                         Pages S2414-15
  Bond Amendment No. 3018, to express the sense of the Senate that the 
Federal investment in programs which provide health care services to 
uninsured and low-income individuals in medically underserved areas be 
increased in order to double access to care over the next 5 years. 
                                                         Pages S2415-16
  Domenici (for DeWine) Modified Amendment No. 3049, to provide fiscal 
year 2001 funding for the United States Coast Guard.     
                                                         Pages S2416-17
                                                              Rejected:
  By 44 yeas to 56 nays (Vote No. 68), Voinovich Amendment No. 2907, to 
strike the reconciliation instruction for tax cuts, thereby allowing 
surpluses to go toward debt reduction.                   
                                                         Pages S2390-91
  By 45 yeas to 55 nays (Vote No. 71), Lautenberg Amendment No. 2957, 
in the nature of a substitute.                               
                                                             Page S2395
  By 46 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 73), Domenici Amendment No. 3076 (to 
Amendment No. 2994), to increase discretionary health funding by 
$1,600,000,000.                                              
                                                             Page S2402
  Bingaman Amendment No. 2997, to redirect tax cuts to the program for 
disadvantaged children in order to meet the bipartisan commitment to 
increase Title 1 funding to $15 billion.                 
                                                         Pages S2411-12
  By 49 yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 78) Kennedy Amendment No. 2962, to 
expand medicaid and S. CHIP coverage to low income families. (By 49 
yeas to 49 nays (Vote No. 77), Senate earlier failed to table the 
amendment.)                                              
                                                         Pages S2412-14
                                                             Withdrawn:
  Abraham Amendment No. 3063, to provide for the protection of Social 
Security trust funds surpluses.                          
                                                         Pages S2385-86
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 44 yeas to 56 nays (Vote No. 65), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 with 
respect to consideration of Conrad Amendment No. 3016, to protect 
Social Security surpluses and reserve a portion of on-budget surpluses 
for Medicare and debt reduction. Subsequently, a point of order that 
the amendment was in violation of section 305 of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 was sustained, and the amendment thus fell. 
                                                         Pages S2384-85
  By 46 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 67), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 with 
respect to consideration of Graham Amendment No. 2966, to establish a 
reserve funds for additional ESEA funding. Subsequently, a point of 
order that the amendment was not germane to the Budget Resolution was 
sustained, and the amendment thus fell.                      
Page S2390
  By 30 yeas to 70 nays (Vote No. 70), three-fifths of those Senators 
duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, Senate 
rejected the motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 with 
respect to consideration of Ashcroft Amendment No. 3032, to protect the 
Medicare surpluses through strengthened budgetary enforcement 
mechanisms. Subsequently, a point of order that the amendment was not 
germane to the Budget Resolution was sustained, and the amendment thus 
fell.                                                    
Pages S2393-95
  Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair was authorized to appoint conferees. 
                                                             Page S2429

[[Page D334]]


  Subsequently, S. Con. Res. 101 was placed back on the Senate 
calendar.                                                    
                                                             Page S2429
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached that in reference to H. 
Con. Res. 290 (listed above), the conference ratio be 4 to 3. 
                                                             Page S2429
  Democracy in Peru: Senate passed S.J. Res. 43, expressing the sense 
of Congress that the President of the United States should encourage 
free and fair elections and respect for democracy in Peru, after 
agreeing to the following amendments proposed thereto:       
  Page S2444
  Murkowski (for Coverdell) Amendment No. 3080, to provide for 
political, economic, and military relations with Peru.       
                                                             Page S2444
  Murkowski (for Coverdell) Amendment No. 3081, to include provisions 
relating to the Organization of American States, the National 
Democratic Institute, and the Carter Center.                 
                                                             Page S2444
  Directing Senate Legal Counsel: Senate agreed to S. Res. 283, to 
direct the Senate Legal Counsel to intervene in the name of the Senate 
Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary 
in United States of America v. Northwest Airlines Corporation, et al. 
                                                         Pages S2444-45
  Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act: Senate passed H.R. 1832, to reform 
unfair and anticompetitive practices in the professional boxing 
industry, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto: 
                                                             Page S2445
  Murkowski (for Reid) Amendment No. 3082, to ensure that rules similar 
to the rules against coercive contracts between boxers and promoters 
apply to contracts between boxers and interstate broadcasters, and that 
casinos, hotels, resorts, etc., that are merely ``associated'' with a 
promoter are not subject to the rules applicable to promoters. 
                                                             Page S2445
  Authorizing Testimony: Senate agreed to S. Res. 284, to authorize 
testimony, document production, and legal representation in United 
States of America v. George Patrick Calhoon.             
  Pages S2445-46
Gas Tax Repeal: Senate began consideration of S. 2285, instituting a 
Federal fuels tax holiday.                               
  Pages S2432-33
  A motion was entered to close further debate on the bill and, in 
accordance with the provisions of Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate, a vote on the cloture motion will occur on Tuesday, April 
11, 2000.                                                    
                                                             Page S2432
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  1 Navy nomination in the rank of admiral.
  Routine lists in the Foreign Service and Coast Guard. 
                                                         Pages S2446-47
Messages From the House:                                     
  Page S2438
Communications:                                              
  Page S2438
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S2438-41
Amendments Submitted:                                    
  Pages S2442-44
Notices of Hearings:                                         
  Page S2444
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S2434-38
Record Votes: Fifteen record votes were taken today. (Total--79) 
   Pages S2385, S2388, S2390-91, S2393, S2395, S2400, S2402, S2406-08, 
                                                        S2412-14, S2429
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9 :02 a.m., and adjourned at 3:45 p.m., 
until 12 noon, on Monday, April 10, 2000. (For Senate's program, see 
the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page 
S2446.)