[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 85 (Thursday, June 29, 2000)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D694-D696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page D694]]




                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Bills Introduced: 27 public bills, H.R. 4782-4808; 1 private bill, H.R. 
4809; and 4 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 366-368, and H. Res. 543, were 
introduced.
  Pages H5654-55, H5656
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows.
  Conference report on 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 (H. 
Rept. 106-710); and
  H.R. 4541, to reauthorize and amend the Commodity Exchange Act to 
promote legal certainty, enhance competition, and reduce systemic risk 
in markets for futures and over-the-counter derivatives, amended (H. 
Rept. 106-711, Pt. 1).
Pages H5460-H5532, H5654
Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations: The House completed general debate and began 
considering amendments to H.R. 4461, making appropriations for 
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and 
Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2001.
  Pages H5442-60, H5533-98
Agreed To:
  Clayton amendment that increases funding for land-grant colleges and 
cooperative extension activities by $6.8 million and decreases 
Agricultural Research Service funding accordingly;
Pages H5536-37
  Weiner amendment No. 65 printed in the Congressional Record that 
reduces Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service funding by $15,510, 
the amount used for the inspection of imported Iranian food products; 
                                                         Pages H5549-51
  Hayes amendment that clarifies that funding may be used to carry out 
research on the medical, biotechnological, food, and industrial uses of 
tobacco;
Pages H5556-62
  Berry amendment that eliminates funding for the Office of the Under 
Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment and transfers funding 
of $693,000 to Resource Conservation and Development programs for 
resolution of small family farm and ranch regulatory issues with the 
Environmental Protection Agency;
Pages H5574-77
  Kelly amendment No. 8 printed in the Congressional Record that 
strikes language that would prohibit the use of funding for the 
American heritage rivers initiative;
Pages H5577-80
  Clayton amendment that makes available loans for a demonstration 
program in North Carolina to evaluate the use of modular housing for 
those who have lost housing because of a major disaster; 
                                                         Pages H5585-86
  Stupak amendment No. 21 printed in the Congressional Record that 
increases funding for senior citizen meal providers, including meals on 
wheels programs, by $20 million and decreases Public Law 480, Food for 
Peace, programs by $30 million;
Pages H5588-91
  Reyes amendment No. 62 printed in the Congressional Record that 
strikes language that would prohibit funding to carry out a Colonias 
initiative without the prior approval of the Committee on 
Appropriations; and
Pages H5591-93
  Kaptur amendment that allows the United States Agency for 
International Development to employ contractors for administrative 
expenses and delivery of Public Law 480, Food for Peace commodities. 
                                                         Pages H5593-94
Rejected:
  Metcalf amendment that sought to increase FDA funding by $40,000 to 
validate the Tulane University Medical School diagnostic test on the 
Gulf War Syndrome and decrease USDA Departmental Administration funding 
accordingly;
Page H5534
  Ney amendment No. 18 printed in the Congressional Record that sought 
to increase funding for North Appalachian Experimental Watershed 
Research Station risk assessments by $100,000 and decrease USDA 
administration, communications, and inspector general funding 
accordingly (rejected by a yea and nay vote of 94 yeas to 326 nays, 
Roll No. 359);
Pages H5534-35, H5596-97
  Hefley amendment No. 1 printed in the Congressional Record that 
sought to eliminate the $200,000 funding for the asparagus 
competitiveness grant and harvester (rejected by a recorded vote of 132 
ayes to 287 noes, Roll No. 360);
Pages H5540-41, H5597
  Sanford amendment No. 49 printed in the Congressional Record that 
sought to decrease special grants for agricultural research funding by 
$14.4 million; and
Pages H5541-47
  Hefley amendment No. 2 printed in the Congressional Record that 
sought to eliminate the $2 million funding for the Agra-Tourism program 
(rejected by a recorded vote of 94 ayes to 319 noes, Roll No. 361). 
                                                  Pages H5581-84, H5598
Point of Order sustained:
  Tierney amendment No. 22 printed in the Congressional Record that 
sought to make available

[[Page D695]]

$500,000 for a study by the National Academy of Science on genetically 
engineered products;
Pages H5538-40
  Kaptur amendment No. 14 printed in the Congressional Record that 
sought to increase Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service funding 
by $53.1 million for emergency eradication of pest and plant 
infestations;
Pages H5552-55
  Miller of Florida amendment No. 43 printed in the Congressional 
Record that sought to prohibit the Commodity Credit Corporation from 
spending more than $54 million for purchases of raw or refined sugar 
from sugarcane or sugar beets;
Pages H5562-65
Withdrawn:
  Kucinich amendment No. 42 printed in the Congressional Record was 
offered and withdrawn that sought to make available $500,000 to the 
Food and Drug Administration for the purpose of drafting guidance for 
industry on how to assess genetically engineered food products for 
allergenicity until a predictive testing methodology is developed; 
                                                         Pages H5594-96
  Agreed to H. Res. 538, the rule that is providing for consideration 
of the bill on June 28.
Military Construction and Supplemental Appropriations Conference 
Report: The House agreed to the conference report on 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 by a yea and nay vote of 306 yeas to 110 
nays, Roll No. 362.
  Pages H5599-H5616
  Earlier agreed by unanimous consent to consider the conference 
report; that all points of order against the conference report and 
against its consideration be waived; that it be considered as read; and 
that H. Res. 540, waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII 
with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the 
Committee on Rules be laid on the table.
Page H5599
Suspension--Supplemental Medicare Funding: The House agreed to suspend 
the rules and pass H. Res. 535, sense of the House concerning the use 
of additional projected surplus funds to supplement Medicare funding, 
previously reduced under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 by a yea and 
nay vote of 404 yeas to 8 nays, Roll No. 363. The House debated the 
resolution on June 28.
  Pages H5616-17
Quality Health-Care Coalition Act: The House passed H.R. 1304, to 
ensure and foster continued patient safety and quality of care by 
making the antitrust laws apply to negotiations between groups of 
health care professionals and health plan and health plans and health 
insurance issuers in the same manner as such laws apply to collective 
bargaining by labor organizations under the National Labor Relations 
Act by a recorded vote of 276 ayes to 136 noes with 2 voting 
``present'', Roll No. 372.
  Pages H5627-52
  Agreed to the Committee on the Judiciary amendment in the nature of a 
substitute made in order by the rule, as amended;
Page H5651
Agreed To:
  Coburn amendment No. 5 printed in H. Rept. 106-709 that exempts 
discussions on requiring abortion coverage from collective bargaining 
negotiations (agreed to by a recorded vote of 213 ayes to 202 noes with 
1 voting ``present'', Roll No. 371); and
Pages H5644-46, H5651
  Davis of Illinois amendment No. 6 printed in H. Rept. 106-709 that 
expresses the sense of Congress that decisions regarding medical care 
and treatment should be made by the physician or health care 
professional in consultation with the patient.
Pages H5646-48
Rejected:
  Ballenger amendment No. 1 printed in H. Rept. 106-709 that sought to 
provide that the antitrust exemption shall not apply to various 
conditions including negotiations over fees, payments, or reimbursement 
and negotiations to permit health care professionals to balance bill 
patients (rejected by a recorded vote of 71 ayes to 345 noes, Roll No. 
367);
Pages H5637-39, H5648-49
  Stearns amendment No. 2 printed in H. Rept. 106-709 that sought to 
exempt groups of health care professionals engaged in negotiations with 
health plans from antitrust laws if the FTC or Department of Justice 
has certified that such negotiations would promote competition and 
enhance the quality of patient care (rejected by a recorded vote of 94 
ayes to 320 noes, Roll No. 368;
Pages H5639-41, H5649
  Cox amendment No. 3 printed in H. Rept. 106-709 that sought to 
provide that a physician may not be forced to join a union as a 
condition of employment by a health plan (rejected by a recorded vote 
of 201 ayes to 214 noes, Roll No. 369); and
Pages H5641-43, H5649-50
  Terry amendment No. 4 printed in H. Rept. 106-709 that sought to 
provide that the antitrust exemption shall not apply to negotiations 
over fees (rejected by a recorded vote of 78 ayes to 338 noes, Roll No. 
370).
Pages H5643-44, H5650-51
  Agreed to H. Res. 542, the rule that is providing for consideration 
of the bill by a yea and nay vote of 225 yeas to 197 nays, Roll No. 
365. Earlier, agreed to order the previous question by a yea and nay 
vote of 241 yeas to 174 nays with 3 voting ``present'', Roll No. 364. 
                                                         Pages H5617-26

[[Page D696]]

Fourth of July District Work Period: House agreed to S. Con. Res. 125, 
providing for a conditional adjournment or recess of the Senate and a 
conditional adjournment of the House of Representatives. Earlier, 
agreed to H. Res. 541, the rule that provided for consideration of a 
concurrent resolution providing for adjournment of the House and Senate 
for the Independence Day district work period by voice vote. Pursuant 
to the rule, H. Res. 469 and H. Res. 482 were laid on the table. 
                                                             Page H5652
Speaker Pro Tempore: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he 
designated Representative Morella to act as Speaker pro tempore to sign 
enrolled bills and joint resolutions through July 10.
  Page H5653
Calendar Wednesday: Agreed that business in order under the Calendar 
Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday, July 12, 2000. 
                                                             Page H5653
Resignations--Appointments: Agreed that notwithstanding any adjournment 
of the House until Monday, July 10, 2000, the Speaker, Majority Leader 
and Minority Leader be authorized to accept resignations and to make 
appointments authorized by law or by the House.
  Page H5653
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission: The Chair announced the 
Speaker's appointment of Representative LaHood, Ms. Joan Flinspach of 
Indiana, and Mr. James R. Thompson of Illinois to the Abraham Lincoln 
Bicentennial Commission. Subsequently, read a letter from the Minority 
Leader wherein he announced his appointment of Mr. David Phelps of 
Illinois and Ms. Louise Taper of California to the same commission. 
                                                             Page H5653
Motion to Adjourn: Rejected the LaHood motion to adjourn by a recorded 
vote of 135 ayes to 279 noes, Roll No. 366.
  Pages H5626-27
Senate Messages: Messages received from the Senate today appear on 
pages H5439 and H5552.
Referrals: S. 2719 was referred to the Committee on Resources. 
                                                             Page H5653
Amendments: Amendments ordered printed pursuant to the rule appear on 
pages H5657-58.
Quorum Calls--Votes: Three yea and nay votes and eleven recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of the House today and appear on pages 
H5596-97, H5597, H5598, H5616, H5616-17, H5625-26, H5626, H5626-27, 
H5648-49, H5649, H5649-50, H5650-51, H5651, and H5651-52. There were no 
quorum calls.
Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and pursuant to S. Con. Res. 125, 
the House adjourned at 2:06 a.m. on Friday June 30 , until 12:30 p.m. 
on Monday, July 10, for morning-hour debate.