[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.

                          ____________________