[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RONNIE SHOWS

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 2000

  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I was away from the floor of the House on 
Monday, June 26, 2000, to attend to official business in my 
congressional district. I was unable to cast recorded votes on 
Rollcalls 322 through 326, relating to Commerce, Justice, State and 
Judiciary Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2001, and on Rollcalls 327 
through 330.
  Mr. Speaker, I regret not being able to vote on any of these 
rollcalls, but I particularly regret being unable to cast my vote in 
favor of Final Passage of the Commerce Appropriations Bill, H.R. 4690. 
This bill includes funds, which I requested, to repair the National 
Weather Service Melba Warning Tower in Jefferson Davis County.
  Tornadoes and hurricanes are a constant threat and have caused 
serious damage in our area. I have been working to repair the Melba 
National Weather Service emergency warning tower, which serves Jones, 
Covington, Jefferson Davis, Simpson, Lawrence, Marion, Walthall, Lamar 
& Forrest counties. I am pleased that the Appropriations Committee and 
the full House recognized the urgent need to repair the Melba Tower.
  Mr. Speaker, had I been present for Rollcalls 322 through 330, 1 
would have cast the following votes:
  Rollcall 322: ``Aye'' on the Sanford Amendment to H.R. 4690, to 
strike the $8.2 million appropriation for the Asia Foundation in the 
Department of State.
  Rollcall 323: ``No'' on the Olver Amendment to H.R. 4690, to add a 
new proviso into the bill (relating to the Kyoto Protocols) which 
clarifies that the limitations on funds shall not apply to activities 
which are otherwise authorized by law.
  Rollcall 324: ``Aye'' on the Hostettler Amendment to H.R. 4690, to 
add a new section which provides that no funds in the bill may be used 
to enforce, implement, or administer the provisions of the settlement 
document dated March 17, 2000, between Smith and Wesson and the 
Department of the Treasury.
  Rollcall 325: ``Aye'' on the Vitter Amendment to H.R. 4690, to add 
language to the bill prohibiting the use of funds by the State 
Department to approve the purchase of property in Arlington, VA by the 
Xinhua News Agency.
  Rollcall 326: ``Yea'' on Passage of H.R. 4690, Commerce, Justice, 
State and Judiciary Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2001.
  Rollcall 327: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as 
Amended, H.R. 3417, the Pribilof Islands Transition Act.
  Rollcall 328: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as 
Amended, S. 148, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.
  Rollcall 329: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as 
Amended, H.R. 4408, a bill to reauthorize the Atlantic Striped Bass 
Conservation Act.
  Rollcall 330: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as 
Amended, H.R. 3023, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 
to convey property to the Greater Yuma Port Authority of Yuma County, 
Arizona for use as an international port of entry.

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