[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 6, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H2174-H2178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATO FREEDOM CONSOLIDATION ACT OF 2007
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
[[Page H2175]]
bill (H.R. 987) to endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of
new members to NATO, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 987
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``NATO Freedom Consolidation
Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The sustained commitment of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) to mutual defense has made possible the
democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe.
Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can and
should play a critical role in addressing the security
challenges of the post-Cold War era in creating the stable
environment needed for those emerging democracies in Europe.
(2) Lasting stability and security in Europe requires the
military, economic, and political integration of emerging
democracies into existing European structures.
(3) In an era of threats from terrorism and the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization is increasingly contributing to
security in the face of global security challenges for the
protection and interests of its member states.
(4) In the NATO Participation Act of 1994 (title II of
Public Law 103-447; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress declared
that ``full and active participants in the Partnership for
Peace in a position to further the principles of the North
Atlantic Treaty and to contribute to the security of the
North Atlantic area should be invited to become full NATO
members in accordance with Article 10 of such Treaty at an
early date . . .''.
(5) In the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 (title
VI of section 101(c) of title I of division A of Public Law
104-208; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress called for the prompt
admission of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and
Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and
declared that ``in order to promote economic stability and
security in Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania,
Bulgaria, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine . . . the process of
enlarging NATO to include emerging democracies in Central and
Eastern Europe should not be limited to consideration of
admitting Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia
as full members of the NATO Alliance''.
(6) In the European Security Act of 1998 (title XXVII of
division G of Public Law 105-277; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note),
Congress declared that ``Poland, Hungary, and the Czech
Republic should not be the last emerging democracies in
Central and Eastern Europe invited to join NATO'' and that
``Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria . . .
would make an outstanding contribution to furthering the
goals of NATO and enhancing stability, freedom, and peace in
Europe should they become NATO members [and] upon complete
satisfaction of all relevant criteria should be invited to
become full NATO members at the earliest possible date''.
(7) In the Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act
of 2002 (Public Law 107-187; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress
endorsed ``. . . the vision of further enlargement of the
NATO Alliance articulated by President George W. Bush on June
15, 2001, and by former President William J. Clinton on
October 22, 1996''.
(8) At the Madrid Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in July 1997, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech
Republic were invited to join the Alliance, and the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of state and government
issued a declaration stating ``[t]he alliance expects to
extend further invitations in coming years to nations willing
and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of
membership . . . [n]o European democratic country whose
admission would fulfill the objectives of the [North
Atlantic] Treaty will be excluded from consideration''.
(9) At the Washington Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in April 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization heads of state and government issued a
communique declaring ``[w]e pledge that NATO will continue to
welcome new members in a position to further the principles
of the [North Atlantic] Treaty and contribute to peace and
security in the Euro-Atlantic area . . . [t]he three new
members will not be the last . . . [n]o European democratic
country whose admission would fulfill the objectives of the
Treaty will be excluded from consideration, regardless of its
geographic location . . .''.
(10) In May 2000 in Vilnius, Lithuania, the foreign
ministers of Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
the Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia
issued a statement (later joined by Croatia) declaring that--
(A) their countries will cooperate in jointly seeking
membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the
next round of enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization;
(B) the realization of membership in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization by one or more of these countries would
be a success for all; and
(C) eventual membership in the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization for all of these countries would be a success
for Europe and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
(11) On June 15, 2001, in a speech in Warsaw, Poland,
President George W. Bush stated ``[a]ll of Europe's new
democracies, from the Baltic to the Black Sea and all that
lie between, should have the same chance for security and
freedom--and the same chance to join the institutions of
Europe--as Europe's old democracies have . . . I believe in
NATO membership for all of Europe's democracies that seek it
and are ready to share the responsibilities that NATO brings
. . . [a]s we plan to enlarge NATO, no nation should be used
as a pawn in the agenda of others . . . [w]e will not trade
away the fate of free European peoples . . . [n]o more
Munichs . . . [n]o more Yaltas . . . [a]s we plan the Prague
Summit, we should not calculate how little we can get away
with, but how much we can do to advance the cause of
freedom''.
(12) On October 22, 1996, in a speech in Detroit, Michigan,
former President William J. Clinton stated ``NATO's doors
will not close behind its first new members . . . NATO should
remain open to all of Europe's emerging democracies who are
ready to shoulder the responsibilities of membership . . .
[n]o nation will be automatically excluded . . . [n]o country
outside NATO will have a veto . . . [a] gray zone of
insecurity must not reemerge in Europe''.
(13) At the Prague Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in November 2002, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia were invited to
join the Alliance in the second round of enlargement of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization since the end of the Cold
War, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of
state and government issued a declaration stating ``NATO's
door will remain open to European democracies willing and
able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of
membership, in accordance with Article 10 of the Washington
Treaty''.
(14) On May 8, 2003, the United States Senate unanimously
approved the Resolution of Ratification to Accompany Treaty
Document No. 108-4, Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of
1949 on Accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, inviting Bulgaria, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to join
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
(15) At the Istanbul Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in June 2004, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization heads of state and government issued a
communique reaffirming that NATO's door remains open to new
members, declaring ``[w]e celebrate the success of NATO's
Open Door Policy, and reaffirm today that our seven new
members will not be the last. The door to membership remains
open. We welcome the progress made by Albania, Croatia, and
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1) in implementing
their Annual National Programmes under the Membership Action
Plan, and encourage them to continue pursuing the reforms
necessary to progress toward NATO membership. We also commend
their contribution to regional stability and cooperation. We
want all three countries to succeed and will continue to
assist them in their reform efforts. NATO will continue to
assess each country's candidacy individually, based on the
progress made towards reform goals pursued through the
Membership Action Plan, which will remain the vehicle to keep
the readiness of each aspirant for membership under review.
We direct that NATO Foreign Ministers keep the enlargement
process, including the implementation of the Membership
Action Plan, under continual review and report to us. We will
review at the next Summit progress by aspirants towards
membership based on that report''.
(16) Georgia and Ukraine have stated their desire to join
the Euro-Atlantic community, and in particular, are seeking
to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Georgia and
Ukraine are working closely with the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and its members to meet criteria for eventual
membership in NATO.
(17) At a press conference with President Mikhail
Saakashvili of Georgia in Washington, DC on July 5, 2006,
President George W. Bush stated that ``. . . I believe that
NATO would benefit with Georgia being a member of NATO, and I
think Georgia would benefit. And there's a way forward
through the Membership Action Plan . . . And I'm a believer
in the expansion of NATO. I think it's in the world's
interest that we expand NATO''.
(18) Following a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in New
York on September 21, 2006, NATO Secretary General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer announced the launching of an Intensified
Dialogue on membership between the Alliance and Georgia.
(19) At the NATO-Ukraine Commission Summit in Brussels in
February 2005, President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko
declared membership in NATO as the ultimate goal of Ukraine's
cooperation with the Alliance and expressed Ukraine's desire
to conclude a Membership Action Plan.
(20) At the NATO-Ukraine Commission Foreign Ministerial
meeting in Vilnius in April 2005, NATO and Ukraine launched
an Intensified Dialogue on the potential membership of
Ukraine in NATO.
(21) At the Riga Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in November 2006, the Heads of State and
Government of the
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member countries of NATO issued a declaration reaffirming
that NATO's door remains open to new members, declaring that
``all European democratic countries may be considered for MAP
(Membership Action Plan) or admission, subject to decision by
the NAC (North Atlantic Council) at each stage, based on the
performance of these countries towards meeting the objectives
of the North Atlantic Treaty. We direct that NATO Foreign
Ministers keep that process under continual review and report
to us. We welcome the efforts of Albania, Croatia, and the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to prepare themselves
for the responsibilities and obligations of membership. We
reaffirm that the Alliance will continue with Georgia and
Ukraine its Intensified Dialogues which cover the full range
of political, military, financial and security issues
relating to those countries' aspirations to membership,
without prejudice to any eventual Alliance decision. We
reaffirm the importance of the NATO-Ukraine Distinctive
Partnership, which has its 10th anniversary next year and
welcome the progress that has been made in the framework of
our Intensified Dialogue. We appreciate Ukraine's substantial
contributions to our common security, including through
participation in NATO-led operations and efforts to promote
regional cooperation. We encourage Ukraine to continue to
contribute to regional security. We are determined to
continue to assist, through practical cooperation, in the
implementation of far-reaching reform efforts, notably in the
fields of national security, defence, reform of the defence-
industrial sector and fighting corruption. We welcome the
commencement of an Intensified Dialogue with Georgia as well
as Georgia's contribution to international peacekeeping and
security operations. We will continue to engage actively with
Georgia in support of its reform process. We encourage
Georgia to continue progress on political, economic and
military reforms, including strengthening judicial reform, as
well as the peaceful resolution of outstanding conflicts on
its territory. We reaffirm that it is of great importance
that all parties in the region should engage constructively
to promote regional peace and stability.''
(22) Contingent upon their continued implementation of
democratic, defense, and economic reform, and their
willingness and ability to meet the responsibilities of
membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a
clear expression of national intent to do so, Congress calls
for the timely admission of Albania, Croatia, Georgia,
Macedonia, and Ukraine to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization to promote security and stability in Europe.
SEC. 3. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.
Congress--
(1) reaffirms its previous expressions of support for
continued enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization contained in the NATO Participation Act of 1994,
the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996, the European
Security Act of 1998, and the Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom
Consolidation Act of 2002;
(2) supports the commitment to further enlargement of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization to include European
democracies that are able and willing to meet the
responsibilities of Membership, as expressed by the Alliance
in its Madrid Summit Declaration of 1997, its Washington
Summit Communique of 1999, its Prague Summit Declaration of
2002, its Istanbul Summit Communique of 2004, and its Riga
Summit Declaration of 2006; and
(3) endorses the vision of further enlargement of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization articulated by President George
W. Bush on June 15, 2001, and by former President William J.
Clinton on October 22, 1996, and urges our allies in the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization to work with the United
States to realize a role for the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in promoting global security, including
continued support for enlargement to include qualified
candidate states, specifically by entering into a Membership
Action Plan with Georgia and recognizing the progress toward
meeting the responsibilities and obligations of NATO
membership by Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia, and
Ukraine.
SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF ALBANIA, CROATIA, GEORGIA, MACEDONIA,
AND UKRAINE AS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE
UNDER THE NATO PARTICIPATION ACT OF 1994.
(a) Designation.--
(1) Albania.--The Republic of Albania is designated as
eligible to receive assistance under the program established
under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994
(title II of Public Law 103-447; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), and
shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to
section 203(d)(1) of such Act.
(2) Croatia.--The Republic of Croatia is designated as
eligible to receive assistance under the program established
under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994,
and shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to
section 203(d)(1) of such Act.
(3) Georgia.--Georgia is designated as eligible to receive
assistance under the program established under section 203(a)
of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and shall be deemed to
have been so designated pursuant to section 203(d)(1) of such
Act.
(4) Macedonia.--The Republic of Macedonia is designated as
eligible to receive assistance under the program established
under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994,
and shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to
section 203(d)(1) of such Act.
(5) Ukraine.--Ukraine is designated as eligible to receive
assistance under the program established under section 203(a)
of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and shall be deemed to
have been so designated pursuant to section 203(d)(1) of such
Act.
(b) Rule of Construction.--The designation of the Republic
of Albania, the Republic of Croatia, Georgia, the Republic of
Macedonia, and Ukraine pursuant to subsection (a) as eligible
to receive assistance under the program established under
section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994--
(1) is in addition to the designation of Poland, Hungary,
the Czech Republic, and Slovenia pursuant to section 606 of
the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 (title VI of
section 101(c) of title I of division A of Public Law 104-
208; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), the designation of Romania,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria pursuant to section
2703(b) of the European Security Act of 1998 (title XXVII of
division G of Public Law 105-277; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), and
the designation of Slovakia pursuant to section 4(a) of the
Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act of 2002
(Public Law 107-187; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note) as eligible to
receive assistance under the program established under
section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994; and
(2) shall not preclude the designation by the President of
other countries pursuant to section 203(d)(2) of the NATO
Participation Act of 1994 as eligible to receive assistance
under the program established under section 203(a) of such
Act.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR COUNTRIES
DESIGNATED UNDER THE NATO PARTICIPATION ACT OF
1994.
Of the amounts made available for fiscal year 2008 under
section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763)
such sums as may be necessary are authorized to be
appropriated for assistance to the Republic of Albania, the
Republic of Croatia, Georgia, the Republic of Macedonia, and
Ukraine.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Lantos and my good friend,
Representative Paul Gillmor from Ohio, for helping with this bill, and
also the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
NATO is probably arguably one of the most important organizations now
in this post-cold war period. NATO, our allies in Europe and Canada,
have presently almost 17,000 troops on the ground in Kosovo and 35,000
in Afghanistan. The alliance is strong, and it is very important from
the standpoint of being an international organization that can go
anywhere and bring order to chaos and back it up with some military
capability. That is unique and critical, in my judgment, in this post-
Cold War world.
NATO itself symbolizes really the cooperative effort across the
Atlantic to promote regional and area-wide stability and also to
encourage fledgling democracies, particularly in Eastern Europe. This
legislation before us recognizes the continuing efforts of Albania,
Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia and Ukraine to become members of NATO and
encourages them to continue on that path. It is a statement from the
Congress that we believe that what they are doing is important, and we
believe that they are moving in the right direction.
Since 1989, 10 countries have joined NATO. We have seen Eastern
European countries join NATO and make a remarkable contribution to the
ongoing effort not only in Afghanistan and in the Balkans, but also as
it relates to the furthering of democracy across some of those formerly
Warsaw Pact countries. Every President has endorsed the efforts that
are embodied in this bill in terms of the expansion of NATO, and this
process is not yet complete.
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Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for recognizing the great work
that both Chairman Lantos as well as Congressman Gillmor of Ohio have
done in paying attention to this issue of NATO.
Madam Speaker, I am so pleased to support this very timely
legislation. This measure is a further step in helping to ensure that
NATO, its member states and those aspiring to join this alliance are
united in pursuit of European democracy and security.
Since its formation in 1949, NATO's mission has been to safeguard the
freedom, common heritage and civilization of its members by promoting
stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area.
{time} 1245
The measure before us serves to express America's continued support
for these important goals.
The NATO Freedom Consolidation Act should help to nurture all those
European states that may eventually join that alliance and give it a
sense of common strategic peacekeeping goals, by encouraging them to
prepare, assume and maintain the responsibilities of membership.
Specifically, the legislation calls for the timely admission of
Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia, and Ukraine to NATO and
authorizes security assistance for these countries in fiscal year 2008.
The standards for joining NATO should not be lowered in any way and
each country should be evaluated individually on the merits.
Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia have been making progress on reforms
through their participation in the NATO Membership Action Plan since
2002.
Georgia and Ukraine have not yet been granted a Membership Action
Plan, but these two nations are making strides in order to qualify for
MAP.
The NATO Freedom Consolidation Act will provide important incentives
and assistance to the countries to continue the implementation of
democratic, defense and economic reforms. In these times, Madam
Speaker, when we have important missions to accomplish overseas, I
encourage my colleagues to vote in support of this measure.
Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to Mr. Gillmor,
who just returned from a NATO conference overseas.
Mr. GILLMOR. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and
also for her support of this resolution. I am very pleased to join with
my colleague, John Tanner, in supporting this resolution.
NATO is our most successful military alliance, maybe the most
successful military alliance in history. It won the Cold War, and it is
also providing security now in many other areas of the world that are
outside the exact geographical footprint of the NATO countries. For
example, as Mr. Tanner pointed out, there are troops in the Balkans.
There are NATO troops in Afghanistan where they are carrying the fight.
Many of those NATO allies have had troops also in Iraq.
Very shortly after NATO was created in 1949, there was another group
called the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to keep a close liaison between
the North Atlantic Council, which is NATO, and the parliaments of those
countries. Mr. Tanner and I have had the opportunity to represent the
United States on that organization for I think a little over 10 years,
and it has been a very valuable organization from the point of view of
the United States. We have both had the opportunity at different times
to serve as vice president of it and as chairman of the Economic and
Security Committee, and Mr. Tanner now leads our delegation to that
group.
One of the things that I think is important about that when we go, as
Republicans and Democrats, we seem to quit being Republicans and
Democrats when we get outside of the United States. I would say when we
meet with our European allies, the only way they know which party we
belong to is when they ask us, because we speak with one voice.
But many of the nations on the other side of the Cold War east of the
Iron Curtain are now members of NATO, and they are some of the
strongest and most enthusiastic members. As recently as 2004, seven new
countries were added, all of them Warsaw countries, bringing the NATO
membership to 26: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania,
Slovakia, and Slovenia.
I want to point out that NATO is not a club you just join. You have
to earn membership in NATO. It is a military alliance. You have to meet
the criteria, and you have to contribute your part to that military
strength in order to be a member. As long as the new members meet those
commitments, NATO will continue to be a strong alliance and one of the
strongest forces for peace, stability, and democracy in the world.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize a member of
our delegation to the NATO PA; and by the way, Mr. Gillmor is a vice
president of the NATO PA this term, and I am proud to serve with him,
and now I would like to recognize a member of our delegation to the
NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs.
Emerson), and yield to her such time as she may consume.
Mrs. EMERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 987.
I want to tell a little story, if that is all right. Back in 1968
when I was 17 years old and a senior in high school, my high school
actually organized a spring break Eastertime trip to the Soviet Union,
to Czechoslovakia, to Poland, and to East Berlin. It was my first trip
out of the country; it was my first trip on an airplane; and of all
places to go, it was behind the Iron Curtain.
I knew a lot about NATO back then simply because we were studying it
in my civics class, but I really didn't understand the importance of
NATO until I went on that trip; and I didn't understand what it all
meant until I went with my colleagues to my very first NATO
Parliamentary Assembly meeting a few years ago.
When you went to visit countries behind the Iron Curtain back when
communism was rampant, it was remarkable to go into these countries
where you had no freedom, no expression of thought, no nothing. It was
gray and it was dreary, and it was so sad. Even though we were able to
spend, at least in Czechoslovakia, time with some students, you really
understood the importance of protecting your civil rights and your
freedom of speech. I really understood that for the first time because
of course we were all as kids afraid that we were being bugged in our
hotel rooms and we were afraid to say anything because we thought we
would get taken by the police.
Anyway, back to my first NATO meeting and we are sitting across the
table from members of the Czech Republic, from Latvia, Lithuania,
Estonia, countries that had always been under the iron thumb of
communism and the Soviet Union, and with the fall of the Berlin Wall,
of course, were able to come into their own once again. That is one of
the most remarkable things about getting to known our fellow
parliamentarians and understanding their great desire to join an
alliance like NATO that has done really an amazing job in protecting
the North Atlantic region and our allies throughout that particular
area.
I don't know that people really understand the importance of this
treaty organization and how it has fostered security and cooperation
for almost 60 years now.
I know, though, that the work of NATO is not complete because we have
newly democratic countries such as Georgia and the Ukraine who have
expressed strong interest in joining NATO, as well as other countries
like Croatia and Macedonia who have actually opened constructive
dialogues on their potential for NATO membership.
When you have lived or touched on what it is like to live in
countries that had no freedoms or protections like NATO can offer, it
is so important for us to look favorably upon their opportunity to join
this important treaty organization.
There is no doubt in my mind that NATO membership will be able to
further our goal of extending democracy throughout the globe. Certainly
H.R. 987 will help accomplish this goal, and I am very pleased that my
colleague,
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Mr. Tanner, has offered this bill; and I look forward to its passage.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time,
and I thank Mr. Tanner for his leadership.
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mrs. Emerson and Mr.
Gillmor, and you, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for participating. This is an
important bill.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 987.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________