[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 114 (Tuesday, September 21, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9423-S9426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, having bid my colleagues farewell and 
good fortune, I now will turn to the appropriations bill. I ask 
unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of 
S. 2666, the Legislative Branch appropriations bill, as under the 
previous order.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2666) making appropriations for the legislative 
     branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for 
     other purposes.


               Amendment Nos. 3664, 3665, 3666, and 3667

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the four managers' 
amendments at the desk are agreed to, and no other amendments are in 
order.
  The amendments were agreed to, as follows:


                           amendment no. 3664

     (Purpose: To modify the approval requirement relating to the 
    promulgation of certain regulations by the Capitol Police Board)

       On page 21, strike lines 13 and 14 and insert ``approval of 
     the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate and 
     the Committee on House Administration of the House of 
     Representatives.''.


                           amendment no. 3665

    (Purpose: To provide that certain claims of Senators and Senate 
 officers and employees are received and approved by the Committee on 
                       Rules and Administration)

       On page 22, lines 23 and 24, strike ``With respect to 
     claims within the jurisdiction of the Senate'' and insert 
     ``With respect to any claim of a Senator or an employee whose 
     pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate''.


                           amendment no. 3666

   (Purpose: To provide for the expansion of participating eligible 
        foreign states under the Open World Leadership program)

       On page 42, between lines 14 and 15, insert the following:

                        Administrative Provision

     SEC. 1501. EXPANSION OF OPEN WORLD LEADERSHIP COUNTRIES.

       Section 313(j) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations 
     Act, 2001 (2 U.S.C. 1151(j)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and inserting 
     ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) any other country that is designated by the Board, 
     except that the Board shall notify the Committees on 
     Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives 
     of the designation at least 90 days before the designation is 
     to take effect.''.


                           amendment no. 3667

 (Purpose: To provide funding for, and extend the termination date of, 
the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, 
                        and for other purposes)

       On page 26, line 18, strike ``$74,558,000'' and insert 
     ``$74,063,000''.
       On page 48, between lines 10 and 11, insert the following:

     SEC. 211. COMMISSION ON THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN STUDY ABROAD 
                   FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

       (a) Appropriation.--There are appropriated, out of any 
     money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, $495,000, for the 
     Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship 
     Program established under section 104 of division H of the 
     Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108-199; 
     118 Stat. 435).
       (b) Extension of Report and Termination Dates.--Section 104 
     of division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 
     (Public Law 108-199; 118 Stat. 435) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (f), by striking ``December 1, 2004'' and 
     inserting ``December 1, 2005''; and
       (2) in subsection (g), by striking ``December 31, 2004'' 
     and inserting ``December 31, 2005''.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There will now be 1 hour of debate equally 
divided.
  The Senator from Colorado.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I am pleased to present to the Senate 
the fiscal year 2005 Legislative Branch appropriations bill. I am 
grateful for the support of my chairman, Senator Stevens, and the 
ranking member of the full committee, Senator Byrd. Thanks, also, to 
the ranking member of this subcommittee, Senator Dick Durbin, who has 
been very supportive of the process in crafting the bill and has been a 
longtime friend since our House days together in the other body.
  Their support of this bill has helped us put together legislation 
that I am very proud of, that provides adequate funding for the Senate 
and its critical support agencies, such as the Capitol Police and the 
Library of Congress.
  This is my last year as chairman of the subcommittee, and I am 
pleased this bill is moving forward.
  Mr. President, this bill totals $2.46 billion in budget authority, 
just $8 million--less than one-half of 1 percent--

[[Page S9424]]

over the current year budget. Together with the House items that are 
included in the House-passed legislative branch bill, H.R. 4755, the 
bill will meet its allocation of $3.575 billion in budget authority.
  Reductions totaling $332 million have been made to legislative branch 
agencies in order to meet the allocation. While this is a very tight 
allocation, all legislative branch agencies would be able to maintain 
current or near current staffing levels and cost-of-living adjustments, 
and uncontrollable price-level increases would be accommodated.
  The major change from last year's bill is the reduction in funding 
for some major construction projects, such as the Capitol Visitor 
Center and the Capitol Powerplant.
  For the Senate, funding would total $725 million, $12.6 million over 
the current budget, which is about 2 percent. Reductions to the request 
level have been made to reflect more accurate estimates of spending, as 
well as funding certain fiscal year 2005 request items through 
reprogramming of fiscal year 2004 reprogrammings.
  Funding for the Capitol Police would total $227 million, $7 million 
above the current budget. In addition to these funds, the committee 
directed a reprogramming of prior year funds for a total of $240 
million for the Capitol Police in fiscal year 2005. This budget would 
enable the Capitol Police to maintain the current level of sworn 
staffing and hire 50 additional civilian staff for critical 
administrative functions.
  The additional use of Capitol Police overtime since August has been a 
significant drain on their resources and may require us to find 
additional funds for the Capitol Police when we meet with the House 
with conference.
  For the Architect of the Capitol, $308 million is recommended, a 
reduction of $32 million below the current budget and $171 million 
below the request. The recommendation reflects the need to eliminate 
lower-priority projects or items which can be deferred. It also enables 
the Architect to focus efforts on the completion of the Capitol Visitor 
Center.
  The bill does accommodate the $39 million Library of Congress' 
storage module project at Ft. Meade, which is desperately needed to 
meet burgeoning storage needs and is a top priority for the Librarian.
  For the Capitol Visitor Center, $7.6 million is included for start-
up/transition to operations costs.
  Moving to the Library of Congress, the bill includes a total of $544 
million, $21 million above the current level and $17 million below the 
request. Current staffing levels are provided for, as well as increases 
for the Veterans History Project, the Culpeper Audio-Visual 
Conservation Center, which will begin to come on line in 2005, and 
security equipment and IT system maintenance.
  For the Government Printing Office, the subcommittee recommendation 
is $120.7 million, $30 million below the request. The reduction is 
attributable primarily to eliminating the $25 million request for GPO's 
``transformation efforts.'' While we support GPO's efforts to 
restructure itself into a 21st century government information office, 
GPO has yet to submit a comprehensive plan for these funds.
  The recommendation for the Government Accountability Office totals 
$470 million, $12 million above the current level but $10.5 million 
below the requested level.
  Finally, the Open World Leadership Program would be funded at the 
current level of $13.5 million.
  Before I yield the floor to my colleague from Illinois, Senator 
Durbin, who I have enjoyed the company of for so many years in both the 
House and the Senate, let me tell you in his presence, he has been an 
absolute delight to work with. I look forward to coming back as a 
private citizen many years in the future to renew our friendship.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I begin by not only thanking Senator 
Campbell for his leadership on the Appropriations Subcommittee on the 
Legislative Branch over the last 2 years but by congratulating him on 
today's events commemorating the opening of the National Museum of the 
American Indian. This is an opening that was long overdue. I know he 
has played a personal role, with Senator Inouye and many others, in the 
realization of this dream.
  It is my understanding--and he has probably made reference to it--
that there is the largest gathering of Native Americans and Indians in 
the history of Washington, DC, taking place on the Mall at this moment. 
Many of them were on the planes as we came to Washington. You could 
tell they were brimming with pride over the recognition they have 
received, a recognition which is long overdue.
  Senator Campbell has been a great leader in so many respects for his 
State of Colorado and for the Nation. But he has really played an 
important role in the conversation and dialog of the Senate. He has 
been a steady and reliable voice speaking for Native Americans. He 
comes today to the floor of the Senate in tribal dress; I am sure proud 
of his heritage. When I got up this morning, I thought I would pick a 
tie that might be noticed. My guess is, in comparison to the chairman 
of the subcommittee, they won't even know I was here today.
  I will say this: We are proud that he has made such a great 
contribution. I know this museum means so much to him personally.
  He is going to be greatly missed as he enters his retirement. I wish 
him the best of luck. I only hope he will take an occasional break from 
visiting with his grandchildren and ride his Harley Davidson back to 
Washington to visit with us from time to time. He will certainly be a 
welcome guest when he does.
  The fiscal year 2005 Legislative Branch appropriations bill which we 
are considering today is comprehensive, thorough, and fair, especially 
in light of the tight funding constraints we are operating under. Our 
allocation does not allow us to begin a variety of construction 
projects throughout the complex, but all safety-related projects are 
fully funded, as they should be.
  I thank Chairman Campbell for including me as a partner in each step 
of the process. The highlights of the bill have already been alluded to 
by the chairman. There is no point in revisiting them. I thank him 
especially for two or three. One particular project, the Library of 
Congress Adventures of the American Mind, means a great deal to my 
State of Illinois and many other States and to many teachers. What we 
are doing is opening up the vast resources of the Library of Congress 
to be used as teaching tools across America in classrooms far and wide, 
in small towns as well as big cities. Without exception, every teacher 
I have spoken to is literally amazed at what is there in terms of 
primary documents easily accessible to teach children about the 
greatness of this country and to educate them to be better informed and 
more competitive in the 21st century.
  Before I wrap up today, I thank Carrie Apostolou of the majority 
staff as well as Terry Sauvain, Drew Willison, and Nancy Olkewicz of 
the minority staff, and Pat Souders from my personal staff for all 
their hard work on this bill.
  I yield the floor.


                      Open World Leadership Center

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the Open World Program has grown from a 
pilot program in 1999 to a robust program, not only in Russia but in 
countries in both the former Soviet Union and the Baltics. I am 
grateful to Dr. James Billington's continued leadership of Open World, 
as well as to my Senate colleagues who serve with me on the board of 
the center and who take the time to meet with Open World delegations in 
the United States.
  Open World has brought over 8,000 participants to 1,254 communities 
in all 50 States. I am pleased that my home State of Alaska has 
welcomed many delegations and strengthened ties between Alaskans and 
Russian in the Far East. I want to note that the GAO reviewed Open 
World from top to bottom this year and noted both the broad 
participation it has achieved in Russia. The GAO team traveled to 
Russia and interviewed a number of participants to determine its 
impact. GAO reported that ``Most delegates viewed their program 
experience very favorably and . . . have taken concrete steps to adapt 
what they learned from their U.S. visits to the Russian environment.''
  Last year we asked Open World to expand its operations to new 
counties, including strategic allies for the U.S. defense interests, 
such as Uzbekistan. I

[[Page S9425]]

would like to ask my colleagues, Senator Campbell and Senator Durbin, 
if they would like to comment on Open World's expansion.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. As co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I have had a 
long-standing interest in the progress of the countries of the former 
Soviet Union toward democracy and rule of law. Open World's staff 
worked very closely with the Helsinki Commission staff to bring 
Belarusian leaders from the parliament and judiciary to the United 
States last February. It would be helpful for the Open World staff to 
continue to work closely with the Helsinki Commission staff given their 
unique expertise in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The 
delegates had very useful programs both in Washington, DC and in 
Florida, meeting with our congressional colleagues, State Department 
officials, Federal judges and prosecutors. As a group the delegation 
left with a new-found focus on building relations with the United 
States and a genuine understanding of both transparency in our 
government and separation of powers. Open World demonstrated that it 
successful model could be applied outside Russia. I am also grateful 
for the genuine involvement of American communities and families in 
building the ties that are at the heart of the Open World Program. I 
would like to see Open World continue its important work in Russia but 
enable us to utilize this flexible and cost-effective program as a 
valuable tool for American diplomacy.
  Mr. DURBIN. I would like to join my colleagues, Senator Stevens and 
Senator Cambell, in recognizing the important contribution that Open 
World has made on many fronts. Open World is unique in its place within 
the legislative branch. When I supported the expansion to the Baltics, 
on the eve of new nations such as Lithuania joining NATO and the 
European Union, I hoped that the program would strengthen ties between 
countries such as Lithuania and Ukraine that enjoy enormous diaspora 
populations in America and remain the focus of efforts by U.S. citizens 
to build democratic institutions in these countries. Open World has 
brought three groups from Lithuania--mayors, representatives of the 
media, NGO leaders--each of whom has traveled to 10 States including 
Illinois. I know firsthand from the United States Ambassador to 
Lithuania, Steve Mull, invaluable it has been to have the opportunity 
to nominate young Lithuanian leaders for Open World and to see them 
return home with concrete ideas to develop Lithuania's local 
governmental structures, particularly in its rural areas. I thank 
Senator Stevens and Senator Campbell for their leadership in expanding 
Open World. I have been pleased to support it and commend it to my 
colleagues as an invaluable partner to those of us in the Congress 
interested in foreign policy issues across the board.

  Mr. STEVENS. I thank my colleagues for their interest and support. In 
addition to the groundbreaking work that you have described in Belarus 
and the Baltics, I would like to point out that the Russian Federation 
has many areas with predominantly Muslim populations--Chechnya, 
Tatarstan, Baskortostan, Ingushetia--areas where Stalin deported more 
than a million people from the North Caucasus to Siberia and Central 
Asia. I suggested to my fellow board members on Open World that we 
focus, in particular, on these regions for 2004. We also launched a 
pilot in Uzbekistan at the same time. In a matter of months, Open World 
had found U.S. hosts and selected young leaders from these key regions; 
500 leaders traveled from the Russian Muslim republics and 100 from 
Uzbekistan. The strength of Open world and its future lies with its 
ability to take a simple, cost-effective model rooted in our American 
communities, values, and hospitality and adapt to new countries of the 
greatest strategic interest to the United States.
  In 2003 Congress authorized expansion of Open World to 14 new 
countries. a number of these--Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, 
Kazakhstan--warrant their own program. I hope that we can work with our 
House colleagues to maintain sufficient funding for Open World to 
continue its success, while not diminishing terribly the important work 
it must continue to do in Russia--as important now as when I first 
helped establish the program in 1999.
  With my colleagues support, I would like to ask Dr. Billington and 
the staff of Open World to explore the possibility of expansion of the 
program to Afghanistan and Pakistan. These countries are crucial to 
U.S. interests. Recognizing that these nations lay outside the present 
scope of Open World, I am offering legislative language that would 
allow the Board of Trustees and staff to explore the feasibility of 
expanding the program and reporting back to the Senate and House 
appropriations Committees within 90 days. Dr. Billington is the 
Librarian of Congress, in addition to his role as chairman of the Open 
World board. The Library's expertise in CRS and through its overseas 
offices will be of great assistance to Open World in responding to this 
request.
  I want to thank Dr. Billington for his continued leadership. I also 
thank my colleagues, Senator Campbell and Senator Durbin, for their 
interest in Open world and appreciation for the important work it has 
accomplished.
  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, the pending Legislative Branch 
appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005, S. 2666, as reported by the 
Senate Committee on Appropriations provides $3.688 billion in budget 
authority and $3.808 billion in outlays in fiscal year 2005. Of these 
totals, $113 million is for mandatory programs in fiscal year 2005.
  The bill provides total discretionary budget authority in fiscal year 
2005 of $3.575 billion. This amount is $403 million below the 
President's request, it matches the 302(b) allocations adopted by the 
Senate Appropriations Committee, and is $50 million more than fiscal 
year 2004-enacted levels excluding fiscal year 2004 supplemental 
appropriations.
  I commend the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee 
for bringing this legislation before the Senate, and I ask unanimous 
consent that a table displaying the Budget Committee scoring of the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 S. 2666, 2005 LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS--SPENDING COMPARISONS--
                          SENATE-REPORTED BILL
                     [Fiscal Year 2005, $ millions]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          General
                                          purpose   Mandatory    Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senate-reported bill:
    Budget authority...................      3,575        113      3,688
    Outlays............................      3,696        112      3,808
Senate Committee allocation:
    Budget authority...................      3,575        113      3,688
    Outlays............................      3,696        112      3,808
2004 Enacted:
    Budget authority...................      3,525        108      3,633
    Outlays............................      3,520        107      3,627
President's request:
    Budget authority...................      3,978        113      4,091
    Outlays............................      3,887        112      3,999
House-passed bill:
    Budget authority...................      3,537        113      3,650
    Outlays............................      3,690        112      3,802
 
    SENATE-REPORTED BILL COMPARED TO
 
Senate 302(b) allocation:
    Budget authority...................          0          0          0
    Outlays............................          0          0          0
2004 Enacted:
    Budget authority...................         50          5         55
    Outlays............................        176          5        181
President's request:
    Budget authority...................       -403          0       -403
    Outlays............................       -191          0       -191
House-passed bill:
    Budget authority...................         38          0         38
    Outlays............................          6          0          6
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Totals adjusted for
  consistency with scorekeeping conventions.

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I thank my friend from Illinois.
  It is my understanding that the managers' amendments were accepted on 
a voice vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. It will probably be a little later in the day when we 
ask for a vote.
  In lieu of that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Chafee). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is my understanding the majority leader 
is going to come shortly and ask unanimous consent that we have a vote 
at 4:30 p.m. Members should be alerted that if they are doing something 
now, they have to come back and vote at 4:30.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.

[[Page S9426]]

  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on 
passage of H.R. 4755, the legislative branch appropriations bill, occur 
at 4:30 p.m.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GREGG. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Under the previous order, the question is on the engrossment and 
third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill is returned to the Senate calendar. 
Under the previous order, the Appropriations Committee is discharged 
from further consideration of H.R. 4755, the House-passed legislative 
branch appropriations bill, and the Senate will proceed to its 
immediate consideration.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 4755) making appropriations for the 
     Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2005, and for other purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The text of the bill relating solely to the 
House shall remain. All other text is stricken and the text of the 
Senate bill, as amended, is inserted in lieu thereof.
  The question is on the engrossment of the amendment and third reading 
of the bill.
  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed, and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill was read the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, 
Shall the bill, H.R. 4755, as amended, pass?
  Mr. DURBIN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I announce that the Senator from New Hampshire (Mr. 
Sununu) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the 
Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards), and the Senator from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 94, nays 2, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 186 Leg.]

                                YEAS--94

     Alexander
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Chafee
     Chambliss
     Clinton
     Cochran
     Coleman
     Collins
     Cornyn
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     Dayton
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham (FL)
     Graham (SC)
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hollings
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     McCain
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Talent
     Thomas
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wyden

                                NAYS--2

     Conrad
     Ensign
       

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Akaka
     Edwards
     Kerry
     Sununu
  The bill (H.R. 4755), as amended, was passed, as follows:
  (The bill will be printed in a future edition of the Record.)
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move 
to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas is recognized.

                          ____________________