[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3551-3555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. Bryan):
  S. 513. A bill to designate the new hospital bed replacement building 
at the Ioannis A. Lougaris Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center in Reno, Nevada, in honor of Jack Streeter; to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.


    Ioanis A. Lougaris Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to 
designate the new hospital bed replacement building at the Ioannis A. 
Lougaris Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, in honor of Mr. Jack Streeter.
  Jack Streeter is Nevada's most decorated veteran from World War II. 
He was born on December 1, 1921 in Ely, Nevada. For his valiant 
service, he was awarded five Silver Stars, five Purple Hearts and the 
two Bronze Stars. He was a combat infantryman and served with the 1st 
Infantry Division (Big Red One). He left the service as a captain, U.S. 
Army.
  Mr. Streeter has an incredible life history of business and 
professional success. Mr. Streeter is an attorney at law, practicing 
for over forty years in the State of Nevada.
  Jack graduated from the University of Nevada Reno in 1943, where upon 
after completing Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, he 
entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. He saw combat throughout 
Europe in the Second World War in such places as the Normandy invasion 
on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the St. Lo Breakthrough, Battle of 
Mortain, Battle of Mons, Battle of Aaachen, and the Battle of Hurtgen 
Forest.
  After leaving the Army in 1945, Jack attended Hastings Law School in 
San Francisco, California, graduating in 1948. He returned to practice 
law in Nevada. In 1950 he entered politics and was elected district 
attorney in Reno. As District Attorney he compiled an impressive 
prosecution record and founded the National District Attorney 
Association.
  During the next 43 years of private legal practice, jack specialized 
in business law representing a variety of different enterprises. He was 
active in many civic groups serving as president of the Nevada State 
Jaycees, Sertoma Club, Reno Navy League, and Chairman of the 
Commissioning Committee for the U.S.S. Nevada trident submarine.
  Jack is on the boards of directors of the Society of the First 
Infantry Division, the University of Nevada Foundation, Saint Mary's 
Hospital Foundation, and he is a Knight of Malta. He also serves as the 
president of the World Association of Lawyers.
  Veterans in northern Nevada have long needed this new wing to their 
VA Medical Center and it is only fitting that it be named in honor of 
Nevada's most decorated veteran from World War II.
  The new facility I am requesting be named in honor of Jack Streeter 
is located in the complex known as the Ioannis A. Lougaris Va Medical 
Center. Mr. Lougaris was the first living individual to have a VA 
Medical Center named in his honor.
  Before World War II, John Lougaris remembered the veterans of World 
War I and the lack of medical aid, especially in Nevada. As a National 
Executive Committeeman from Nevada, he made many trips to Washington, 
DC, sixteen of them at his own expense, endeavoring to get a Veterans 
Hospital established in Reno.
  The first success was a 26-bed unit, built in 1939 with a $100,000 
federal grant. In 1944, John's efforts led to increasing the facility 
to 125 beds. He did not stop working and today the Reno VA Medical 
Center which bears his honorable name, serves Nevada's veterans well as 
a 107 bed facility which includes a 60 bed nursing home facility and 12 
intensive care unit beds. The new bed replacement facility, which the 
bill I am offering today seeks to name after Jack Streeter, was built 
at the cost of $27 million and brings this hospital to a modern day 
standard.
  In recognition of John Lougaris's devotion, deep interest, and 
untiring efforts in the development of a hospital to serve veterans in 
Nevada and Northern California, the Congress of the United States, by 
Public Law 97-66, rededicated the Reno VA Medical Center as the Ioannis 
A. Lougaris VA Medical Center on December 17, 1981.
  It was certainly a well deserved gesture when Congress designated the 
VA Medical Center in honor of Ioannis A. Lougaris. It would now be 
equally fitting to name the new hospital wing in honor of Mr. Jack 
Streeter for his outstanding record of service to this Nation.
  Mr. BRYAN. Mr. President, I am proud to join with my friend and 
colleague from Nevada, Senator Reid, in introducing this important 
legislation today to honor an individual whose extraordinary military 
service record and faithful commitment to his community warrants 
special recognition.
  As Senator Reid has explained, in the next few months a new wing will 
be dedicated at the Ioannis A. Lougaris VA Medical Center in Reno, 
Nevada. This five-story, 110-bed tower is a welcome addition to the 
Reno VAMC, and will provide veterans in northern Nevada with the modern 
facilities and quality inpatient care they so clearly deserve. The 
purpose of the legislation we are introducing today is to name that new 
wing after Mr. Jack Streeter, an individual whose lifetime is 
hallmarked by his exemplary service record, his steadfast dedication to 
the veterans community and his leadership in numerous charitable and 
nonprofit organization.
  I have had the opportunity to know Jack for many years now, dating 
back to my tenure as governor of Nevada. Anyone who has come into 
contact with Jack Streeter, and who had the occasion to talk with Jack 
and learn more about his experiences, can understand and appreciate 
what an extraordinary individual this man is.
  Jack Streeter's military service record is quite well known in the 
State of Nevada. He is, in fact, the most decorated World War Two 
veteran in Nevada, having earned five Purple Hearts, five Silver Stars, 
and two Bronze Stars in the European Theater. Let me repeat that Mr. 
President, because it truly is an astounding record.

[[Page 3552]]

Five Purple Hearts, five Silver Stars, and two Bronze Stars.
  As a young second lieutenant during the war, Jack saw action from the 
Allied invasion of Normandy to the decisive Battle of the Bulge in the 
winter of 1944-45. Upon leaving the service in 1946, Mr. Streeter 
earned a law degree from Hastings Law School in San Francisco and later 
returned to Reno, where he was soon elected as district attorney. He 
later found the National District Attorney Association and participated 
in numerous civic organizations and foundations.
  Jack Streeter's distinguished military service record, coupled with 
his unyielding dedication to his community, merits the sort of 
recognition and rememberence that this legislation will provide. To all 
Nevadans who have had the opportunity to know Jack, he is a friend, a 
civic leader, and most importantly, a champion of the community.
  I look forward to working with Senator Reid and the entire Nevada 
delegation in passing this proposal and naming this new wing after a 
true American hero.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. COCHRAN:
  S. 514. A bill to improve the National Writing Project; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.


        legislation to reauthorize the national writing project

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, today, I am introducing legislation to 
reauthorize the National Writing Project, the only Federal program to 
improve the teaching of writing in America's classrooms.
  Literacy is at the foundation of school and workplace success, of 
citizenship in a democracy, and of learning in all disciplines. The 
National Writing Project has been instrumental in helping teachers 
develop better teaching skills so they can help our children improve 
their ability to read, write, and think.
  As the United States continues to face a crisis in writing in schools 
heightened by the growing number of at-risk students due to limited 
English proficiency and the shortage of adequately trained teachers, 
continued Federal support for a program that works such as the National 
Writing Project is imperative.
  The National Writing Project is a national network of university-
based teacher training programs designed to improve the teaching of 
writing and student achievement in writing.
  Through its professional development model, the National Writing 
Project recognizes the primary importance of teacher knowledge, 
expertise, and leadership. The National Writing Project operates on a 
teachers-teaching teachers model. Successful writing teachers attend 
Invitational Summer Institutes at their local universities. During the 
school year these teachers provide workshops for other teachers in the 
schools.
  Teachers of all subjects benefit from the training, and the success 
of students who are taught by Writing Project teachers is evident: they 
score better not just on writing examinations, but in reading, 
mathematics, and in other subjects.
  Since 1973, the National Writing Project has served over 1.8 million 
teaches and administrators. Each year over 150,000 participants benefit 
from the National Writing Project programs in 1 of 156 United States 
sites located in 46 States and Puerto Rico. The National Writing 
Project generates $6.47 for every Federal dollar.
  I am pleased, that for the first time since the National Writing 
Project was authorized for federal funding in 1991, the President has 
requested funds to expand the National Writing Project in his budget 
for Fiscal Year 2000.
  This program has proven to be one of the most effective in education 
today. I am proud to be associated with it, and I compliment those who 
have made it so successful across the nation.
  When I first introduced this bill in 1990, it was cosponsored by 40 
Senators, both Republicans and Democrats. I hope it will receive equal 
or greater support in the 106th Congress. I invite other Senators to 
join me in sponsoring this legislation.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, Mr. Reid, 
        Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Torricelli, and 
        Mr. Schumer):
  S. 515. A bill to amend the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, to 
make it unlawful for any stockyard owner, market agency, or dealer to 
transfer or market nonambulatory livestock, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.


                      downed animal protection act

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Downed Animal 
Protection Act, a bill to eliminate inhumane and improper treatment of 
downed animals at stockyards. The legislation prohibits the sale or 
transfer of downed animals unless they have been humanely euthanized.
  Downed animals are severely distressed recumbent animals that are too 
sick to rise or move on their own. Once an animal becomes immobile, it 
must remain where it has fallen, often without receiving the most basic 
assistance. Downed animals that survive the stockyard are slaughtered 
for human consumption.
  These animals are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to handle 
humanely. They have very demanding needs, and must be fed and watered 
individually. The suffering of downed animals is so severe that the 
only humane solution to their plight is immediate euthanasia.
  Mr. President, the bill I introduce today requires that these 
hopelessly sick and injured animals be euthanized by humane methods 
that rapidly and effectively render animals insensitive to pain. Humane 
euthanasia of downed animals will limit animal suffering and will 
encourage the livestock industry to concentrate on improved management 
and handling practices to avoid this problem.
  Downed animals compromise a tiny fraction, less than one-tenth of one 
percent, of animals at stockyards. Banning their sale or transfer would 
cause no economic hardship. The Downed Animal Protection Act will 
prompt stockyards to refuse crippled and distressed animals, and will 
make the prevention of downed animals a priority for the livestock 
industry. The bill will reinforce the industry's commitment to humane 
handling of animals.
  The problem of downed animals has been addressed by major livestock 
organizations such as the United Stockyards Corp., the Minnesota 
Livestock Marketing Association, the National Pork Producers Council, 
the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, and the Independent Cattlemen's 
Association of Texas. All of these organizations have taken strong 
stands against improper treatment of animals by adopting ``no-downer'' 
policies. I want to commend these and other organizations, as well as 
responsible and conscientious livestock producers throughout the 
country, for their efforts to end an appalling problem that erodes 
consumer confidence.
  Despite a strong consensus within industry, the animal welfare 
movement, consumers, and government that downed animals should not be 
sent to stockyards, this sad problem continues, causing animal 
suffering and an erosion of public confidence in the industry.
  Mr. President, this legislation will complement industry effort to 
address this problem by encouraging better care of animals at farms and 
ranches. Animals with impaired mobility will receive better treatment 
in order to prevent them from becoming incapacitated. The bill will 
remove the incentive for sending downed animals to stockyards in the 
hope of receiving some salvage value for the animals and would 
encourage greater care during loading and transport. The bill will also 
discourage improper breeding practices that account for most downed 
animals.
  My legislation would set a uniform national standard, thereby 
removing any unfair advantages that might result from differing 
standards throughout the industry. Furthermore, no additional 
bureaucracy will be needed as a consequence of my bill because 
inspectors of the Packers and Stockyards

[[Page 3553]]

Administration regularly visit stockyards to enforce existing 
regulations. Thus, the additional burden on the agency and stockyard 
operators will be insignificant.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. THOMAS:
  S. 516. A bill to benefit consumers by promoting competition in the 
electric power industry, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.


the electric utility restructuring empowerment and competitiveness act 
                            of 1999 (eureca)

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Electric 
Utility Restructuring Empowerment and Competitiveness Act of 1999. This 
legislation empowers the states to restructure their electric 
industries at the rate and in the way they decide. My legislation 
imposes no ``retail choice mandate'' or deadline on the States so as to 
fully allow the best market ideas and approaches to occur. As well, 
EURECA removes Federal impediments to competition and deregulates and 
streamlines the industry.
  My bill gives the States the leading role in implementing competition 
in the electric power industry. This approach contrasts with the bills 
introduced in the House and Senate last Congress that required 
competition nationwide by a date certain. A Federal mandate on the 
States requiring retail competition by a date certain is not in the 
best interest of all classes of consumers. I am concerned such an 
approach would cause increased prices for low density States with 
relatively low cost power. This bill will protect States' rights and 
allow States maximum latitude to adapt competition to their own 
individual needs.
  I believe States are in the best position to deal with this complex 
issue. Although the cost of electricity varies across the country, 
electric industry restructuring can result in lower consumer prices for 
everyday goods and services, the development of innovative new products 
and services, and a growing, more productive economy.
  We have spent the last two Congresses holding hearings to review the 
state of competition in the electric power industry and discussing 
numerous pieces of legislation dealing with restructuring. Meanwhile, 
20 individual States have passed their own legislation introducing 
competition into the retail electric industry and many other States are 
considering such proposals. According to industry statistics, nearly 50 
percent of all Americans now live in States committed to retail 
competition. States are clearly taking the lead--they should continue 
to have that role--and this bill encourages more innovation by 
affirming States' ability to implement retail choice policies.
  It is critical to the welfare of the States that each one have an 
opportunity to ready and equip themselves for a successful transition 
to a deregulated environment. By learning from the States which have 
already implemented competition, other states can take precautions and 
adopt laws that will best protect them as they adjust to this new 
competitive environment. With FERC's Order 888, which created 
competitive wholesale power supply markets through the availability of 
non-discriminatory open-access transmission service under tariff, we 
have seen at both the State and Federal levels that we are now in a 
critical testing period in the implementation of market-based policies. 
Specifically, we saw the price spikes that occurred last summer in the 
Midwest. After holding a hearing on the subject, the experts agreed 
that we are indeed in a transition period. Although no one could point 
to one specific reason for the occurrence, and many were suggested, all 
seemed to agree for the need of national reliability standards.
  Traditionally, reliability of the transmission system was managed by 
a voluntary, industry-led organization known as the North American 
Electric Reliability Council. We have added many new players to the 
transmission grid, making for an increasingly decentralized and 
competitive U.S. electricity industry. And, as determined by a recently 
issued DOE Task Force Report, ``the old institutions of reliability are 
no longer sufficient.'' I have added a section on reliability to my 
legislation. The industry collectively came up with a legislative 
proposal that would transform NERC from a voluntary system of 
reliability management to NAERO, an organization that is mandatory in 
nature and subject to FERC oversight. Sustaining system reliability is 
crucial for protecting all classes of consumers and such an 
organization can help ensure that power markets function efficiently.
  One of the most important aspects of this debate--assuring that 
universal service is maintained--is a critical function that each state 
PUC should have the ability to oversee and enforce. In my legislation, 
nothing would prohibit a state from requiring all electricity providers 
that sell electricity to retail customers in that state to provide 
electricity service to all classes and consumers of electric power. All 
classes of consumers should have access to adequate, safe, reliable and 
efficient energy services at fair and reasonable prices, as a result of 
competition.
  Mr. President, my proposal will create greater competition at the 
wholesale level by prospectively deregulating wholesale sales of 
electricity. We did this in natural gas and it worked--I am confident 
it will work in electricity. Although everyone talks about 
``deregulating'' the electricity industry, it is really the generation 
segment that will be deregulated. The FERC will continue to regulate 
transmission in interstate commerce, and State PUCs will continue to 
regulate retail distribution services and sales.
  When FERC issued Order 888, it allowed utilities to seek market-based 
rates for new generating capacity. This provision goes a step further 
and allows utilities to purchase wholesale power from existing 
generation facilities, after the date of enactment of this Act, at 
prices solely determined by market forces.
  Furthermore, the measure expands FERC authority to require non-public 
utilities that own, operate or control transmission to open their 
systems. Currently, the Commission cannot require the Power Marketing 
Administration (PMAs), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), 
municipalities and cooperatives which own transmission to provide 
wholesale open access transmission service. Since approximately 22 
percent of all transmission is beyond open access authority, requiring 
these non-public utilities to provide this service will help ensure 
that a true wholesale power market exists.
  One of the key elements of this measure is streamlining and 
modernizing the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) 
and the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA). While both 
of these initiatives were enacted with good intentions, there is 
widespread belief that the Acts have fulfilled their original 
obligations and have outlived their usefulness.
  My bill amends Section 210 of PURPA on a prospective basis. Current 
PURPA contracts would continue to be honored and upheld. However, upon 
enactment of this legislation, a utility that begins operating would 
not be required to enter into a new contract or obligation to purchase 
electricity under Section 210 of PURPA.
  With regard to PUHCA, I've included Senators Shelby's and Dodd's 
``Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1999.'' This language is 
identical to the bipartisan legislation reported by the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in the 105th Congress. Under this 
proposal, PUHCA would be repealed. Furthermore, all books and records 
of each holding company and each associate company would be transferred 
to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)--which currently has 
jurisdiction over the 19 registered holding companies--to FERC. This 
allows energy regulators, who truly know the industry to oversee the 
operations of these companies and review acquisitions and mergers. 
These consumer protections are an important part of PUHCA reform.
  Mr. President, an issue that must be resolved in order for a true 
competitive environment to exist is that of utilities receiving 
``subsidies'' by the federal

[[Page 3554]]

government and the U.S. tax code. For years, investor owned utilities 
(IOUs) have claimed inequity because of tax-exempt financing and low-
interest loans that municipalities and rural cooperative receive. On 
the other side of the equation, these public power systems maintain 
that IOUs receive benefits in the tax code such as accelerated 
depreciation, investment tax credits and deferred income tax and many 
use tax-exempt debt for pollution control bonds. Are these in a way, 
``subsidies?'' The jury is still out on how best to tackle these 
difficult issues but without a doubt, we will need to come to a 
resolution.
  Finally, my bill directs the Inspector General of the Department of 
the Treasury to file a report to the Congress detailing whether and how 
tax code incentives received by all utilities should be reviewed in 
order to foster a competitive retail electricity market in the future.
  Mr. President, with respect to federal comprehensive restructuring 
legislation, it is the states themselves that hold the key to ultimate 
success. EURECA allows states to continue to move forward and craft 
electricity proposals that best fit their own particular needs. This 
legislation is the best solution to move forward with a better product 
for all classes of consumers and the industry as a whole.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. Chafee, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. DeWine, 
        and Mr. Robb):
  S. 517. A bill to assure access under group health plans and health 
insurance coverage to covered emergency medical services; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.


            ACCESS TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ACT OF 1999

  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues Senators 
Chafee, Robb, and Mikulski, to introduce the Emergency Medical Services 
Act of 1999. Americans today are routinely denied coverage by their 
managed care plans for visits to the emergency department for 
legitimate emergency medical conditions. This legislation establishes a 
national definition, known as the prudent layperson standard, for the 
purposes of receiving emergency room treatment. The Balanced Budget Act 
of 1997 applied this definition to the Medicaid and Medicare programs. 
The proposal would simply ensure that all private health plans afford 
their consumers the same kinds of protections available to Medicaid and 
Medicare beneficiaries.
  Mr. President, current law places patients in the unreasonable 
position of fearing that payment for emergency room visits will be 
denied even when conditions appear to both the patient and emergency 
room personnel to require urgent treatment. For example, a patient who 
is experiencing chest pains and believes that she is having a heart 
attack may not be covered by a health plan if the diagnosis later turns 
out to be indigestion. Enactment of the ``prudent layperson'' 
definition would end this phenomena by ensuring coverage when a 
reasonable person, who believes that she is in need of care, presents 
herself at an emergency room and is treated.
  Federal law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act 
(EMTALA), already requires that all persons who come to a hospital for 
emergency care be given a screening examination to determine if they 
are experiencing a medical emergency, and if so, that they receive 
stabilizing treatment before being discharged or moved to another 
facility. As a result, emergency, room doctors and hospitals face a 
catch-22. Practitioners are required by EMTALA and their own 
professional ethics to perform diagnostic tests and exams to rule out 
emergency conditions, but may be denied reimbursement due to HMO prior 
authorization requirements or a finding after diagnosis that the 
condition was not of an emergency.
  This legislation also provides a process for the coordination of 
post-stabilization care. Consider this example: a patient goes into the 
emergency room complaining of chest pains, in an obvious emergent 
condition. Subsequently, the chest pains subside, therefore, the 
patient is considered clinically ``stabilized.'' However, this does not 
mean that the patient is out of danger. At that point the emergency 
room physician may recommend a follow up test, such as an EKG, but is 
frequently unable to get the health plan to authorize any follow-up 
care.
  This portion of the bill would require that treating emergency 
physicians and health plans timely communicate with each other to 
determine what the necessary post-stabilization care should be. Health 
plans, in conjunction with the treating physician, may arrange for an 
alternative treatment plan that allows the health plan to assume care 
of the patient after stabilization. For instance, the plan may 
recommend that the patient by transferred to an in-network hospital, or 
it may agree to cover the tests recommended by the emergency room 
physician.
  Our legislation has been strongly endorsed by Kaiser Permanente, one 
of our nation's oldest, largest, and most respected managed care plans, 
and the American College of Emergency Physicians. The legislation has 
also received the strong support of the American Osteopathic 
Association, the Federation of American Health Systems, and the 
National Council of Senior Citizens, among many others.
  I would ask that my colleagues join us in supporting this important 
legislation.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DURBIN:
  S. 520. A bill for the relief of Janina Altagracia Castillo-Rojas and 
her husband, Diogenes Patricio Rojas; to the Committee on the 
Judiciary.


                          private relief bill

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a private bill 
for the relief of Janina Altagracia Castillo-Rojas and her husband, 
Diogenes Patricio Rojas. My bill would grant permanent resident status 
to Janina and Diogenes, who face deportation later this month to the 
Dominican Republic as a result of a technicality in current federal 
immigration law.
  Janina has been denied citizenship because her mother was the child 
of a U.S. citizen female and foreign male. Previous law allowed only 
children of U.S. citizen males and foreign females to claim U.S. 
citizenship.
  In 1994, Senator Paul Simon passed the Immigration and Nationality 
and Technical Corrections Act, which allowed individuals born overseas 
before 1934 to U.S. citizen mothers, and their descendants, to claim 
U.S. citizenship. As a result of that 1994 law, Janina's mother 
received U.S. citizenship in January 1996.
  However, when Janina attempted to attain citizenship as a descendant 
of a direct beneficiary of this legislation, her application was 
denied. Despite the 1994 law, the Immigration and Naturalization 
Service required that Janina's mother meet transmission requirements: 
she must have been physically present in the U.S. for 10 years prior to 
Janina's birth, 5 of which over the age of 16 years, in order for 
Janina to derive citizenship. Since her mother was prohibited from 
becoming a U.S. citizen until 1996, however, this requirement is 
unreasonable.
  While 60 years of discriminatory law was corrected in 1994, the 
citizenship qualifications of the line of descendants of those U.S. 
citizen females remain adversely impacted. The private relief bill I 
introduce today will grant Janina and her husband Diogenes permanent 
resident status to continue their lives in this country until this 
provision can be amended.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of this bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 520

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. PERMANENT RESIDENCE.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of 
     the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), 
     Janina Altagracia Castillo-Rojas and her husband, Diogenes 
     Patricio Rojas, shall be held and considered to have been 
     lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent 
     residence as of the date of the enactment of this Act upon 
     payment of the required visa fees.

[[Page 3555]]



     SEC. 2. REDUCTION OF NUMBER OF AVAILABLE VISAS.

       Upon the granting of permanent residence to Janina 
     Altagracia Castillo-Rojas and her husband, Diogenes Patricio 
     Rojas, as provided in this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
     instruct the proper officer to reduce by the appropriate 
     number during the current fiscal year the total number of 
     immigrant visas available to natives of the country of the 
     aliens' birth under section 203(a) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)).
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
        Feingold, and Mr. Torricelli):
  S. 521. A bill to amend part Y of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide for a waiver of or 
reduction in the matching funds requirement in the case of fiscal 
hardship; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                          ____________________