[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4208-S4210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED

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             MILITARY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001

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                      DOMENICI AMENDMENT NO. 3156

  Mr. BURNS (for Mr. Domenici (for himself and Mr. Bingaman)) proposed 
an amendment to the bill (S. 2521) 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, 
and for other purposes; as follows:

       On page 44 line 6, strike ``$136,000,000'' and replace with 
     ``$221,000,000''; and on page 44 line 12, strike 
     ``$136,000,000'' and replace with ``$221,000,000''.
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                        GREGG AMENDMENT NO. 3157

  Mr. BURNS (for Mr. Gregg) proposed an amendment to the bill, S. 2521, 
supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in the bill, insert the following:
       Sec.  . Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 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.
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                STEVENS (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3158

  Mr. BURNS (for Mr. Stevens (for himself, Mr. Coverdell, and Mr. 
DeWine)) proposed an amendment to the bill, S. 2521, supra; as follows:

       On page 26, at line 15, strike, ``$74,859,000'', and insert 
     in lieu thereof, ``$542,859,000'';
       On page 27, at line 7 and 8, strike ``: Provided'', and 
     insert in lieu thereof ``; Acquisition of six C-130J long-
     range maritime patrol aircraft authorized under section 
     812(G) of the Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act that 
     are capable of meeting defense-related and other elements of 
     the Coast Guard's multi-mission requirements, $468,000,000: 
     Provided, That the procurement of maritime patrol aircraft 
     funded under this heading shall not, in any way, influence 
     the procurement strategy, program requirements, or down-
     select decision pertaining to the Coast Guard's Deepwater 
     Capability Replacement Project; Provided further''.
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               DOMENICI (AND BINGAMAN) AMENDMENT NO. 3159

  Mr. BURNS (for Mr. Domenici (for himself and Mr. Bingaman)) proposed 
an amendment to the bill, S. 2521, supra; as follows:

       On page 35, between lines 17 and 18, insert the following:

              RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION

           Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Army

       For an additional amount for ``Research, Development, Test, 
     and Evaluation, Army'', $5,700,000 for continued test 
     activities under the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) 
     program of the Army: Provided, That the entire amount is 
     designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant 
     to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
     Deficit Control Act of 1985.

[[Page S4209]]

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               McCONNELL (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3160

  Mr. BURNS (for Mr. McConnell (for himself, Mr. Stevens, and Mr. 
Warner)) proposed an amendment to the bill, S. 2521, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ____. USE OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FACILITIES AS POLLING 
                   PLACES.

       (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, the Secretary of Defense shall not prohibit the 
     designation or use of any Department of Defense facility, 
     currently designated by a State or local election official, 
     or used since January 1, 1996, as an official polling place 
     in connection with a local, State, or Federal election, as 
     such official polling place.
       (b) Effective Date.--The prohibition under subsection (a) 
     shall apply to any election occurring on or after the date of 
     enactment of this section and before December 31, 2000.
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                      JEFFORDS AMENDMENT NO. 3161

  Mr. BURNS (for Mr. Jeffords) proposed an amendment to the bill, S. 
2521, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ____. ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

       Section 508(f)(1) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
     U.S.C. 794d(f)(1)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``Effective'' and all 
     that follows through ``1998,'' and inserting ``Effective 6 
     months after the date of publication by the Access Board of 
     final standards described in subsection (a)(2),''; and
       (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``2 years'' and all 
     that follows and inserting ``6 months after the date of 
     publication by the Access Board of final standards described 
     in subsection (a)(2).''.
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                       DASCHLE AMENDMENT NO. 3162

  Mrs. MURRAY (for Mr. Daschle) proposed an amendment to the bill S. 
2521, supra; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC.   . FLOOD MITIGATION NEAR PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

       Section 136(a)(3) of title I of division C of the Omnibus 
     Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 
     1999 (112 Stat. 2681-596), is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:
       ``(C) Determination of economic justification.--
       ``(i) In general.--A determination of economic 
     justification under subparagraph (A) shall be based on an 
     assumption that the Federal Government is liable for ground 
     water damage to land or property described in paragraph (1).
       ``(ii) Effect of clause.--Clause (i) does not impose on the 
     Federal Government any liability in addition to any liability 
     that the Federal Government may have under law in effect on 
     October 20, 1998.''.
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                STEVENS (AND INOUYE) AMENDMENT NO. 3163

  Mr. BURNS (for Mr. Stevens (for himself and Mr. Inouye)) proposed an 
amendment to the bill, S. 2521, supra; as follows:

                           amendment no. 3163

       At the appropriate place in the bill, insert:
       ``Sec.  . Section 8114 of the Department of Defense 
     Appropriations Act, 1999 (Public Law 105-262) is amended--
       ``And other SOFA claims'' to be inserted following `` `. . 
     . the funds made available for payments to persons, 
     communities, or other entities in Italy for reimbursement 
     property damages . . .' ''
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      FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001

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                 BAUCUS (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3164

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. BAUCUS (for himself, Mr. Roberts, and Mrs. Murray) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by them to the bill (S. 2522) making 
appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related 
programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other 
purposes.

       On page 140, between lines 19 and 20, insert the following:

     SEC. ____. USE OF FUNDS FOR THE UNITED STATES-ASIA 
                   ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERSHIP.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law that restricts 
     assistance to foreign countries, funds appropriated by this 
     or any other Act making appropriations pursuant to part I of 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that are made available 
     for the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership may be 
     made available for activities for the People's Republic of 
     China.
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                         FREEDOM TO E-FILE ACT

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                     FITZGERALD AMENDMENT NO. 3165

  Mr. BROWNBACK (for Mr. Fitzgerald) proposed an amendment to the bill 
(S. 777) requiring 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; as follows:

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Freedom to E-File Act''.

     SEC. 2. ELECTRONIC FILING AND RETRIEVAL.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, in accordance with subsection (c), the 
     Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the 
     ``Secretary'') shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
     establish an Internet-based system that enables agricultural 
     producers to access all forms of the agencies of the 
     Department of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the 
     ``Department'') specified in subsection (b).
       (b) Applicability.--The agencies referred to in subsection 
     (a) are the following:
       (1) The Farm Service Agency.
       (2) The Natural Resources Conservation Service.
       (3) The rural development components of the Department 
     included in the Secretary's service center initiative 
     regarding State and field office collocation implemented 
     pursuant to section 215 of the Department of Agriculture 
     Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6915).
       (4) The agricultural producer programs component of the 
     Commodity Credit Corporation administered by the Farm Service 
     Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
       (c) Implementation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall--
       (1) provide a method by which agricultural producers may--
       (A) download from the Internet the forms of the agencies 
     specified in subsection (b); and
       (B) submit completed forms via electronic facsimile, mail, 
     or similar means;
       (2) redesign the forms by incorporating into the forms 
     user-friendly formats and self-help guidance materials; and
       (3) ensure that the agencies specified in subsection (b)--
       (A) use computer hardware and software that is compatible 
     among the agencies and will operate in a common computing 
     environment; and
       (B) develop common Internet user-interface locations and 
     applications to consolidate the agencies' news, information, 
     and program materials.
       (d) Progress Reports.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress a report that describes the progress made toward 
     implementing the Internet-based system required under this 
     section.

     SEC. 3. ACCESSING INFORMATION AND FILING OVER THE INTERNET.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, in accordance with subsection (b), the 
     Secretary shall expand implementation of the Internet-based 
     system established under section 2 by enabling agricultural 
     producers to access and file all forms and, at the option of 
     the Secretary, selected records and information of the 
     agencies of the Department specified in section 2(b).
       (b) Implementation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall ensure that an agricultural producer is 
     able--
       (1) to file electronically or in paper form, at the option 
     of the agricultural producer, all forms required by agencies 
     of the Department specified in section 2(b);
       (2) to file electronically or in paper form, at the option 
     of the agricultural producer, all documentation required by 
     agencies of the Department specified in section 2(b) and 
     determined appropriate by the Secretary; and
       (3) to access information of the Department concerning farm 
     programs, quarterly trade, economic, and production reports, 
     and other similar production agriculture information that is 
     readily available to the public in paper form.

     SEC. 4. AVAILABILITY OF AGENCY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FUNDS.

       (a) Reservation of Funds.--From funds made available for 
     agencies of the Department specified in section 2(b) for 
     information technology or information resource management, 
     the Secretary shall reserve from those agencies' applicable 
     accounts a total amount equal to not more than the following:
       (1) For fiscal year 2001, $3,000,000.
       (2) For each subsequent fiscal year, $2,000,000.
       (b) Time for Reservation.--The Secretary shall notify 
     Congress of the amount to be reserved under subsection (a) 
     for a fiscal year not later than December 1 of that fiscal 
     year.
       (c) Use of Funds.--
       (1) Establishment.--Funds reserved under subsection (a) 
     shall be used to establish the

[[Page S4210]]

     Internet-based system required under section 2 and to expand 
     the system as required by section 3.
       (2) Maintenance.--Once the system is established and 
     operational, reserved amounts shall be used for maintenance 
     and improvement of the system.
       (d) Return of Funds.--Funds reserved under subsection (a) 
     and unobligated at the end of the fiscal year shall be 
     returned to the agency from which the funds were reserved, to 
     remain available until expended.

     SEC. 5. FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE CORPORATION AND RISK 
                   MANAGEMENT AGENCY.

       (a) In General.--Not later than December 1, 2000, the 
     Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Risk Management 
     Agency shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
     Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a plan, that is 
     consistent with this Act, to allow agricultural producers 
     to--
       (1) obtain, over the Internet, from approved insurance 
     providers all forms and other information concerning the 
     program under the jurisdiction of the Corporation and Agency 
     in which the agricultural producer is a participant; and
       (2) file electronically all paperwork required for 
     participation in the program.
       (b) Administration.--The plan shall--
       (1) conform to sections 2(c) and 3(b); and
       (2) prescribe--
       (A) the location and type of data to be made available to 
     agricultural producers;
       (B) the location where agricultural producers can 
     electronically file their paperwork; and
       (C) the responsibilities of the applicable parties, 
     including agricultural producers, the Risk Management Agency, 
     the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, approved insurance 
     providers, crop insurance agents, and brokers.
       (c) Implementation.--Not later than December 1, 2001, the 
     Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Risk Management 
     Agency shall complete implementation of the plan submitted 
     under subsection (a).

     SEC. 6. CONFIDENTIALITY.

       In carrying out this Act, the Secretary--
       (1) may not make available any information over the 
     Internet that would otherwise not be available for release 
     under section 552 or 552a of title 5, United States Code; and
       (2) shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that 
     the confidentiality of persons is maintained.

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