[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4405-S4407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001--Resumed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2603) making appropriations for the legislative
branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for
other purposes.
Pending:
Mikulski Amendment No. 3166, to express the sense of the
Senate commending the United States Capitol Police.
Amendment No. 3166
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 10 minutes available for debate on
the pending amendment.
The Senator from Maryland.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, yesterday I offered an amendment to the
legislative branch appropriations bill commending the Capitol Police,
and all the employees of the legislative branch, and recommending that
we keep the Senate funding levels in conference.
I also complimented the outstanding leadership provided by Senator
Bennett, the Chair of the legislative appropriations subcommittee, as
well as Senator Feinstein, the ranking member of the subcommittee, who
really moved this legislation in a way that I think meets the
responsibilities we have to the American people.
The best way we can show our responsibility to the American people is
to really let them know that the men and women who work at the U.S.
Capitol are needed and valued.
My amendment is not about money, it is about morale. We want to say
to the men and women who work at the U.S. Capitol that we know who you
are and we value what you do. You are the men and women who work in
this building for the American people. You serve the Nation.
The Capitol Police protect this building, which is a symbol of
freedom and democracy the world over. The Capitol Police ensure that
everyone who comes to the U.S. Capitol is safe and secure, including
Members of Congress and staff.
The Capitol Police are brave. They are resourceful. They are tough.
They are gallant. They protect you whether you are a foreign dignitary,
such as Nelson Mandela, or a member of a Girl Scout troop from
Maryland.
We need to make sure they have their jobs, they have their pay, they
have their pension, and they have our respect. That is what my
amendment is all about: To support the Capitol Police and the other
employees of the legislative branch.
I was deeply disturbed at the House bill which cut over 1,700
employees of the legislative branch. This isn't about bureaucracy. The
people we are talking about are the 117 people from the Congressional
Research Service. That is the body that is absolutely dedicated to
giving us unbiased, unpolitical, accurate information so we can make
the best decisions in our approach to forming public policy. We turn to
them for models for the Older Americans Act and for ideas on new
technology breakthroughs to be pursued. We have to make sure we have
the Congressional Research Service and that they have the staff they
need to do their job.
Also under the House bill, 700 jobs would be cut from GAO. Every
Member of the Senate who is fiscally prudent knows we need the GAO. It
is not about keeping the books, but it is about keeping the books
straight. We continually turn to the GAO to do investigations of waste
and abuse, to give us insights on how to better manage and be better
stewards of the taxpayers' funds. People with those kinds of skills
could leave us in a nanosecond and move to the private sector. They
could be ``dot.comers'' with no hesitation.
If we are going to be on the broadband of the future, we need to make
sure we have the skills to run a contemporary Congress. We need to make
sure they have security in their jobs and security in health benefits
and in their pensions. We need to be sure we let those workers know we
are on their side.
In addition to that, we want to make sure we acknowledge the role our
own staffs play in constituent service and in helping us craft
legislation.
Two years ago, we all endured a very melancholy event here in the
Congress. Two very brave and gallant police officers literally put
themselves in the line of fire to protect us. Their names were Officer
Chestnut, from Maryland--his wife still lives over there at Fort
Washington--and Detective Gibson, of Virginia, father of three--
teenagers, college students. We mourn them. We consoled their families
and said a grateful Congress will never forget.
We should not forget the men and women who work here, but the way we
remember is with the right pay, the right benefits, and the right
respect.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I will just take about 2 minutes in
support of the Mikulski amendment to say how proud I am to be an
original cosponsor. I have probably given 15 or 20 speeches about this,
so I do not want to take any time except to emphasize two points.
[[Page S4406]]
First of all, I thank the Senator for mentioning Officer Chestnut and
Detective Gibson. It has really been almost 2 years ago that we lost
those two fine officers. I do think the best way we honor them is by
supporting the police.
I think what happened on the House side was really unconscionable
because whereas we really need to do even better by way of making sure
we get two police officers at each post, making sure we have the
security for them, much less the security for the public and ourselves,
instead, what we saw was actually a slashing of the budgets, which
means hundreds of officers losing their jobs and not really having
police officers working under the right conditions for themselves,
their families, for the public, and for us.
We really have done well on the Senate side. I thank Senators
Bennett, Feinstein, Mikulski, and others for their commitment. I hope
every single Senator will support this amendment. Like other Senators,
I am not always wild about sense-of-the-Senate amendments--I offer a
fair number of them myself--but sometimes they are really important.
Sometimes they are, while symbolic, really powerful and really
important.
I do think we need to convey the message, in light of what happened
on the House side, in light of how demoralized and how angry and
indignant some police officers are, that we fully support them.
This amendment is a very important one. I hope it will have the full
support of the Senate.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
The Senator from Alaska is recognized and controls the rest of the
time.
Mr. STEVENS. I yield a portion of my time to Senator Feinstein. I do
wish a couple minutes before we come to the vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I want to, from the Democratic side,
more or less conclude the debate on the legislative branch
appropriations bill.
We believe it is a good bill. We are very supportive--both Senator
Bennett and I--of Senator Mikulski's amendment. I am delighted she
offered it.
The men and women of the Capitol Police perform a vitally important
job. Unfortunately, sometimes we hardly notice them. This is an
opportunity to give them notice, respect, commendation, and say we are
proud of you.
The legislative branch appropriations bill restores the damaging cuts
contained in the House bill and reaffirms our commitment to ensuring
security in the Capitol and of the Capitol Police.
I reiterate what a delight it has been to work with our chairman,
Senator Bennett. My tenure as ranking member on this subcommittee has
been marked by a sense of comity and equity which has really made this
work a great pleasure.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I thank Senator Feinstein. I commend
Senators Bennett and Feinstein for managing this bill. It is a
significant bill.
With regard to the police, this bill increases support for our
Capitol Police by 26 percent. In fact, in addition to that, we have in
the Agriculture bill, awaiting Senate action, $2.3 million in overtime
costs to implement the two-men-per-door policy and $10 million to
provide additional facilities to support police functions. The 2001
appropriations bill provides $5.2 million in overtime to continue the
two-men-at-each-door policy.
I commend Senator Mikulski for her amendment. I deem it as a
remembrance sense of the Senate, and we should remember these men who
lost their lives in guarding this building and the functions of the
Congress.
I hope we will have the support of all Members for the basic bill. We
support Senator Mikulski's amendment, as a sense-of-the-Senate
amendment, that recognizes what is in the bill, that is, increasing
support for the security functions for the Capitol and those who work
in it.
Mr. President, I believe we have scheduled the time to commence the
vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The vote is scheduled for 10:45.
Mr. STEVENS. Have the yeas and nays been ordered?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. They have.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, there are three votes in succession?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are two.
Mr. STEVENS. Two votes. Very well.
Does Senator Feinstein wish any more time? Senator Mikulski?
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, my amendment in no way is a criticism of
Senators Bennett and Feinstein. They did a fantastic job, not only in
moving the bill but the way they have conducted the hearings and worked
with Members on very sensitive issues. I commend them. Had the House
done what Senators Bennett and Feinstein did, my amendment would not
have been necessary.
Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Senator.
If it is in order, I yield back the remainder of the time and ask for
the vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to amendment No.
3166. The yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call the
roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 100, nays 0, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 113 Leg.]
YEAS--100
Abraham
Akaka
Allard
Ashcroft
Baucus
Bayh
Bennett
Biden
Bingaman
Bond
Boxer
Breaux
Brownback
Bryan
Bunning
Burns
Byrd
Campbell
Chafee, L.
Cleland
Cochran
Collins
Conrad
Coverdell
Craig
Crapo
Daschle
DeWine
Dodd
Domenici
Dorgan
Durbin
Edwards
Enzi
Feingold
Feinstein
Fitzgerald
Frist
Gorton
Graham
Gramm
Grams
Grassley
Gregg
Hagel
Harkin
Hatch
Helms
Hollings
Hutchinson
Hutchison
Inhofe
Inouye
Jeffords
Johnson
Kennedy
Kerrey
Kerry
Kohl
Kyl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lieberman
Lincoln
Lott
Lugar
Mack
McCain
McConnell
Mikulski
Moynihan
Murkowski
Murray
Nickles
Reed
Reid
Robb
Roberts
Rockefeller
Roth
Santorum
Sarbanes
Schumer
Sessions
Shelby
Smith (NH)
Smith (OR)
Snowe
Specter
Stevens
Thomas
Thompson
Thurmond
Torricelli
Voinovich
Warner
Wellstone
Wyden
The amendment (No. 3166) was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The pending question is, Shall the bill be
engrossed and advanced to third reading?
Mr. COCHRAN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There is a
sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 98, nays 2, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 114 Leg.]
YEAS--98
Abraham
Akaka
Allard
Ashcroft
Baucus
Bayh
Bennett
Biden
Bingaman
Bond
Boxer
Breaux
Bryan
Bunning
Burns
Byrd
Campbell
Chafee, L.
Cleland
Cochran
Collins
Conrad
Coverdell
Craig
Crapo
Daschle
DeWine
Dodd
Domenici
Dorgan
Durbin
Edwards
Enzi
Feingold
Feinstein
Fitzgerald
Frist
Gorton
Graham
Gramm
Grams
Grassley
Gregg
Hagel
Harkin
Hatch
Helms
Hollings
Hutchinson
Hutchison
Inhofe
Inouye
Jeffords
Johnson
Kennedy
Kerrey
Kerry
Kohl
Kyl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lieberman
Lincoln
Lott
Lugar
Mack
McCain
McConnell
Mikulski
Moynihan
Murkowski
Murray
Nickles
Reed
Reid
Robb
Roberts
Rockefeller
Roth
Santorum
Sarbanes
Schumer
Sessions
Shelby
Smith (OR)
Snowe
Specter
Stevens
Thomas
Thompson
Thurmond
Torricelli
Voinovich
Warner
Wellstone
Wyden
[[Page S4407]]
NAYS--2
Brownback
Smith (NH)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the bill for the third
time.
The bill was read the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill is now returned to the calendar.
____________________