[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 75 (Thursday, June 15, 2000)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D603-D605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                                 Thursday, June 15, 2000

[[Page D603]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      Senate passed Department of Transportation Appropriations Bill.
      The House passed H.R. 4578, Interior and Related Agencies 
      Appropriations 2001.
      The House passed S. 2722, to authorize the award of the Medal of Honor 
      to Ed W. Freeman, for conspicuous acts of gallantry during the Vietnam 
      War, James K. Okubo, for conspicuous acts of gallantry during World 
      War II, and Andrew J. Smith, conspicuous acts of gallantry during the 
      Civil War--clearing the measure for the President.


                                 Senate

Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S5165-S5280
Measures Introduced: Fifteen bills and one resolution were introduced, as 
follows: S. 2732-2746, and S. Con. Res. 123.
  Pages S5240-41
Measures Reported: Reports were made as follows:
  S. 11, for the relief of Wei Jingsheng.
  S. 150, to the relief of Marina Khalina and her son, Albert Mifakhov.
  S. 451, for the relief of Saeed Rezai.
  S. 1078, for the relief of Mrs. Elizabeth Eka Bassey and her children, 
Emmanuel O. Paul Bassey, Jacob Paul Bassey, and Mary Idongesit Paul Bassey, 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  S. 1513, for the relief of Jacqueline Salinas and her children Gabriela 
Salinas, Alejandro Salinas, and Omar Salinas.
  S. 2019, for the relief of Malia Miller.
Page S5240
Measures Passed:
  Transportation Appropriations: By a unanimous vote of 99 yeas (Vote No. 
132), Senate passed H.R. 4475, making appropriations for the Department of 
Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2001, after taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto: 
                                                 Pages S5166-86, S5188-S5215
Adopted:
  Shelby (for McCain) Amendment No. 3441, to require a cap on the total 
amount of Federal funds invested in Boston's ``Big Dig'' project. 
                                                              Pages S5182-84
  Lautenberg (for Torricelli) Amendment No. 3443, to express the sense of 
the Senate that Congress and the President should immediately take steps to 
address the growing safety hazard associated with the lack of adequate 
parking space for trucks along Interstate highways.
Pages S5182-84
  Lautenberg (for Torricelli) Amendment No. 3445, to provide for a study on 
noise impacts of railroad operations, including idling train engines on the 
quality of life of nearby communities, the quality of the environment 
(including consideration of air pollution), and safety.
Pages S5182-84
  Shelby (for Domenici) Modified Amendment No. 3432, to make grants to carry 
out the Small Community Air Service Development Pilot program. 
                                                              Pages S5184-86
  Lautenberg (for Reed) Modified Amendment No. 3436, to provide $10,000,000 
for the costs associated with construction of a third track on the Northeast 
Corridor between Davisville and Central Falls, Rhode Island. 
                                                              Pages S5184-86
  Lautenberg (for Kohl) Modified Amendment No. 3438, to state the sense of 
the Senate regarding funding for Coast Guard acquisitions and for Coast 
Guard operations during fiscal year 2001.
Pages S5184-86
  Lautenberg (for Dodd) Modified Amendment No. 3447, to provide that new 
starts funding shall be available for a project to re-electrify the rail 
line between Danbury, Connecticut and Norwalk, Connecticut.
Pages S5184-86
  Shelby (for Cochran) Amendment No. 3451, to make available funds 
previously appropriated for the Star Landing Road project in DeSoto County, 
Mississippi.
Pages S5184-86
  Lautenberg (for Baucus/Burns) Amendment No. 3452, to provide that the non-
Federal share of project number 1646 in section 1602 of Public Law No.105-
178, may be funded by Federal funds from an agency or agencies not part of 
the Department of Transportation.
Pages S5184-86

[[Page D604]]


  Shelby (for Nickles) Amendment No. 3453, to provide for the conveyance of 
airport property to an institution of higher education in Oklahoma. 
                                                              Pages S5184-86
  Shelby (for McCain) Amendment No. 3440, to condition the use by the FAA 
Airport Office of non-safety related funds on the FAA's completion of its 
investigation in Docket No. 13-95-05.
Page S5188
  By 95 yeas to 3 nays (Vote No. 131), Allard Amendment No. 3430, making 
supplemental appropriations for fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, for 
reduction of the public debt.
Pages S5177-78, S5189-90
  Shelby Amendment No. 3454, designating the New Jersey Transit commuter 
rail station to be located at the intersection of the Main/Bergen line and 
the Northeast Corridor line in the State of New Jersey shall be known and 
designated as the ``Frank R. Lautenberg Transfer Station''.
Pages S5196-97
Withdrawn:
  Collins (for Collins/Schumer) Amendment No. 3439, to express the sense of 
the Senate that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve should be used to address 
high crude oil and gasoline prices.
Pages S5173-76
  Wyden Amendment No. 3433, to require the Inspector General of the 
Department of Transportation to review certain airline customer service 
practices and to make recommendations for reform.
Pages S5178-80
  During consideration of this measure today, the Senate also took the 
following action:
  By 46 yeas to 52 nays (Vote No. 130), Senate failed to uphold the defense 
of germaneness with regard to Voinovich Amendment No. 3434, to provide 
increased flexibility in use of highway funding, therefore, the amendment 
was ruled as not germane, and thus fell.
Pages S5168-73
  Senate agreed to a modified motion to instruct conferees on the part of 
the Senate to accept section 318 of the bill as passed by the House of 
Representatives, but to authorize the Department of Transportation, pursuant 
to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, in conjunction with the DOT, 
to recommend, but not to promulgate without approval by a Joint Resolution 
of Congress, appropriate corporate average fuel efficiency standards. 
                                                           Pages S5197-S5214
  Senate insisted on its amendment, and requested a conference with the 
House thereon.
Page S5197
  Subsequently, following adoption of the modified motion to instruct the 
conferees (listed above), the Chair was authorized to appoint the following 
conferees on the part of the Senate: Senators Shelby, Domenici, Specter, 
Bond, Gorton, Bennett, Campbell, Stevens, Lautenberg, Byrd, Mikulski, Reid, 
Kohl, Murray, and Inouye.
Page S5214
  U.S. Army 225th Birthday Recognition: Committee on the Judiciary was 
discharged from further consideration of H.J. Res. 101, recognizing the 
225th birthday of the United States Army, and the resolution was then agreed 
to.
  Page S5279
Measure Indefinitely Postponed:
  Transportation Appropriations: S. 2720, making appropriations for the 
Department of Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2001.
  Page S5280
Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act--Conference 
Report: Senate began consideration of the conference report of S. 761, to 
regulate interstate commerce by electronic means by permitting and 
encouraging the continued expansion of electronic commerce through the 
operation of free market forces.
  Pages S5215-31
  A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further 
consideration of the conference report, with a vote to occur thereon, on 
Friday, June 16, 2000, at 9:30 a.m.
Page S5280
Appointment:
  Federal Judicial Center Foundation: The Chair, on behalf of the President 
pro tempore, pursuant to Public Law 100-702, appointed Richard D. Casey, of 
South Dakota, to the board of the Federal Judicial Center Foundation. 
                                                              Pages S5279-80
Nominations--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing 
for consideration of the nominations of Laura Taylor Swain, to be United 
States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, Beverly B. 
Martin, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of 
Georgia, and Jay A. Garcia-Gregory, to be United States District Judge for 
the District of Puerto Rico, on Friday, June 16, 2000.
Defense Authorization--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement was reached 
providing for further consideration of S. 2549, to authorize appropriations 
for fiscal year 2001 for military activities of the Department of Defense, 
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of 
Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed 
Forces, and certain amendments to be proposed thereto, on Monday, June 19, 
2000, at 3 p.m., and Tuesday, June 20, 2000, at 9:30 a.m.
  Page S5215
Foreign Operations Appropriations--Agreement: A unanimous-consent agreement 
was reached providing for consideration of S. 2522, making appropriations 
for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, on Tuesday, June 20, 2000. 
                                                                  Page S5215
Messages From the House:
  Page S5239
Communications:
  Pages S5239-40
Executive Reports of Committees:
  Page S5240
Statements on Introduced Bills:
  Pages S5241-72
Additional Cosponsors:
  Pages S5272-74
Amendments Submitted:
  Pages S5275-79

[[Page D605]]

Authority for Committees:
  Page S5279
Additional Statements:
  Pages S5237-39
Privileges of the Floor:
  Page S5279
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--132) 
                                                   Pages S5173, S5189, S5197
Adjournment: Senate convened at 9:45 a.m., and adjourned at 7:55 p.m., until 
9:30 a.m., on Friday, June 16, 2000. (For Senate's program, see the remarks 
of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S5280.)