[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2000)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D490-D492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                             Thursday, May 18, 2000

[[Page D490]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed Military Construction Appropriations for Fiscal 
      Year 2001.
      The House passed H.R. 4205, Floyd D. Spence National Defense 
      Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S4121-S4217
Measures Introduced: Fourteen bills and one resolution were introduced, 
as follows; S. 2586-2599, and S. Res. 308.
  Pages S4190-91
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 2593, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 2001. (S. Rept. No. 106-298)
  H.R. 371, to expedite the naturalization of aliens who served with 
special guerrilla units in Laos, with an amendment.
  H.R. 1953, to authorize leases for terms not to exceed 99 years on 
land held in trust for the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and 
the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians of the Guidiville Indian Rancheria.
  H.R. 2484, to provide that land which is owned by the Lower Sioux 
Indian Community in the State of Minnesota but which is not held in 
trust by the United States for the Community may be leased or 
transferred by the Community without further approval by the United 
States.
  S. Res. 296, designating the first Sunday in June of each calendar 
year as ``National Child's Day'', with an amendment.
  S. 484, to provide for the granting of refugee status in the United 
States to nationals of certain foreign countries in which American 
Vietnam War POW/MIAs or American Korean War POW/MIAs may be present, if 
those nationals assist in the return to the United States of those POW/
MIAs alive.
  S. 1902, to require disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 
regarding certain persons and records of the Japanese Imperial Army in 
a manner that does not impair any investigation or prosecution 
conducted by the Department of Justice or certain intelligence matters, 
with an amendment.
Page S4190
Measures Passed:
  Military Construction Appropriations: By 96 yeas to 4 nays (Vote No. 
106), Senate passed H.R. 4425, making appropriations for military 
construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for the 
Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, 
after striking all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu 
thereof the text of S. 2521, Senate companion measure, as amended, and 
after taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto: 
                                                         Pages S4122-70
Adopted:
  By 53 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. 105), Levin Amendment No. 3154, to 
strike certain provisions which requires ground troops be withdrawn 
from Kosovo by a fixed date.
Pages S4122-64
  Murray (for Robb) Amendment No. 3146, to make available $220,000,000 
for the Navy for fiscal year 2000 for ship depot maintenance. 
                                                         Pages S4164-68
  Burns (for Domenici) Amendment No. 3156, to provide emergency 
resources to address needs resulting from the catastrophic wildfire at 
Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.
Pages S4164-68
  Burns (for Gregg) Amendment No. 3157, to provide that none of the 
funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other Act 
may be used to allow for the entry into, or withdrawal from warehouse 
for consumption in the United States of diamonds if the country of 
origin in which such diamonds were mined (as evidenced by a legible 
certificate of origin) is the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Republic of 
Liberia, the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the 
Congo, or the Republic of Angola.
Pages S4164-68
  Burns (for Stevens) Amendment No. 3158, to provide for the 
acquisition of six C-130J long-range maritime patrol aircraft, and for 
other purposes.
Pages S4164-68

[[Page D491]]


  Burns (for Domenici) Amendment No. 3159, to provide $5,700,000 for 
testing under the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) program of the 
Army.
Pages S4164-68
  Burns (for McConnell) Amendment No. 3160, to allow the designation 
and use of Department of Defense facilities as polling places for 
local, State, and Federal elections.
Pages S4164-68
  Burns (for Jeffords) Amendment No. 3161, to postpone the effective 
date of certain enforcement provisions until 6 months after the 
publication of final electronic and information technology standards. 
                                                         Pages S4164-68
  Murray (for Daschle) Amendment No. 3162, to provide for flood 
mitigation near Pierre, South Dakota.
Pages S4164-68
  Burns (for Stevens/Inouye) Amendment No. 3163, to provide for SOFA 
claims.
Pages S4164-68
  Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair was authorized to appoint the following 
conferees on the part of the Senate: Senators Burns, Hutchison, Craig, 
Kyl, Stevens, Murray, Reid, Inouye, and Byrd.
Page S4170
  Subsequently, by prior unanimous consent, S. 2521 was indefinitely 
postponed.
  Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act: Senate passed H.R. 371, to 
expedite the naturalization of aliens who served with special guerrilla 
units in Laos, after agreeing to a committee amendment. 
                                                         Pages S4211-13
  Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act 
Amendments: Senate passed S. 1509, to amend the Indian Employment, 
Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992, to emphasize 
the need for job creation on Indian reservations, after agreeing to 
committee amendments.
  Page S4214
  Indian Education Improvement: Senate passed H.R. 3629, to amend the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the program for American Indian 
Tribal Colleges and Universities under part A of title III, clearing 
the measure for the President.
  Pages S4214-15
  Day of Honor 2000: Committee on the Judiciary was discharged from 
further consideration of S.J. Res. 44, supporting the Day of Honor 2000 
to honor and recognize the service of minority veterans in the United 
States Armed Forces during World War II, and the resolution was then 
agreed to.
  Page S4215
Foreign Operations Appropriations: Senate began consideration of the 
motion to proceed to the consideration of S. 2522, making 
appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related 
programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001. 
                                                         Pages S4170-84
Freedom to E-File Act: Senate concurred in the amendment of the House 
to S. 777, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an 
electronic filing and retrieval system to enable farmers and other 
persons to file paperwork electronically with selected agencies of the 
Department of Agriculture and to access public information regarding 
the programs administered by these agencies, with the following 
amendment:
  Pages S4215-16
  Brownback (for Fitzgerald) Amendment No. 3165, in the nature of a 
substitute.
Page S4216
Removal of Injunction of Secrecy: The injunction of secrecy was removed 
from the following treaty:
  Extradition Treaty Between the United States and South Africa (Treaty 
Doc. No. 106-24).
  The treaty was transmitted to the Senate today, considered as having 
been read for the first time, and referred, with accompanying papers, 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations and was ordered to be printed. 
                                                         Pages S4210-11
Appointment:
  First Flight Centennial Federal Advisory Board: The Chair, on behalf 
of the Majority Leader, in consultation with the Democratic Leader, 
pursuant to Public Law 105-389, announced the appointment of Sylvia 
Stewart of Mississippi to serve as a member of the First Flight 
Centennial Federal Advisory Board, vice Wilkinson Wright of Ohio. 
                                                         Pages S4213-14
Messages From the President: Senate received the following messages 
from the President of the United States:
  Transmitting, pursuant to the National Emergencies Act, a notice 
continuing the national emergency with respect to Burma that was 
declared in Executive Order 13047 of May 20, 1997; to the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (PM-106)
Page S4188
  Transmitting, pursuant to the National Emergencies Act, a 6-month 
periodic report on the national emergency with respect to Burma that 
was declared in Executive Order 13047 of May 20, 1997; to the Committee 
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (PM-107)
Pages S4188-89
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  Gregory Robert Dahlberg, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of the 
Army.
  Bernard Daniel Rostker, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense 
for Personnel and Readiness.
Pages S4211, S4217

[[Page D492]]

Messages From the President:
  Pages S4188-89
Communications:
  Pages S4189-90
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S4190
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S4191-S4207
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S4207-08
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S4208-10
Additional Statements:
  Pages S4186-88
Notice of Hearings:
  Page S4210
Record Votes: Two record votes were taken today. (Total--106) 
                                                  Pages S4163-64  S4170
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9 a.m., and adjourned at 8:11 p.m., 
until 11 a.m., on Monday, May 22, 2000. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S4216.)