E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 106th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 146 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2000 No. 155ÐPart II Senate (Legislative day of Friday, September 22, 2000) DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, ury-General Government and legisla- opportunity to brief members of this HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, tive branch bills. Those two bills were side of the aisle at a conference this AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED previously passed by the Congress, but afternoon, and the bill is available in AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR were vetoed by the President. the Cloakroom for review. THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEP- The only significant change to the bills previously passed by Congress is I urge all my colleagues to support TEMBER 30, 2001ÐCONFERENCE this conference report, which com- REPORT the deletion of the telephone tax provi- sion in the Treasury bill. The con- pletes the work of this Congress, dur- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under ference report includes other appro- ing this Congress. Next month, when the previous order, the Senate will pro- priations matters, which emerged sub- the 107th Congress convenes, and a new ceed to the consideration of the con- sequent to the completion of the other President is inaugurated, they will ference report to accompany H.R. 4577, fiscal year 2001 bills. both start with no carryover from this which the clerk will report. Significant items include $150 million Congress. The committee of conference on the dis- for repair of the U.S.S. Cole, $100 mil- Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, as has been agreeing votes of the two Houses on the lion for intelligence activities re- amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. the case on far too many occasions in quested by the White House, $110 mil- the past number of years, the Senate 4577) ``making appropriations for the Depart- lion for the new markets initiative, ments of Labor, Health and Human Services, finds itself today in the position of and Education, and related agencies for the $100 million for volunteer firefighter having to deal with a massive omnibus fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for grants sought by our colleague from appropriations bill. We have had to Delaware, Senator ROTH, and $100 mil- other purposes'', having met, have agreed: pass a record numberÐ21Ðof Con- lion for the Library of Congress to en- that the House recede from its disagreement tinuing Resolutions in order to keep hance the National Digital Library. to the amendment of the Senate, and agree the Federal Government operating to the same with an amendment, and the I want to also thank all my col- Senate agree to the same; that the House leagues for their patience as I worked since the fiscal year began on October agree to the title of the bill, with an amend- with the White House for a compromise 1st. These Continuing Resolutions were ment, and the Senate agree to the same, on the Alaskan Fishery/Sea Lion pro- necessary because we in the Congress signed by a majority of the conferees on the tection issue. Through the hard work and the Administration could not re- part of both Houses. of many here in Congress and at the solve our differences on a myriad of (The conference report is printed in White House, OMB and the Department issues, most of which have not involved the House proceedings of the RECORD of of Commerce, we achieved a com- funding levels at all. Rather, the hag- today, December 15, 2000.) promise that meets the priorities of all gling for the past many weeks has been Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the fis- partiesÐwho share the goal of pro- over issues such as ergonomics regula- cal year 2001 Labor/HHS Appropria- tecting the sea lion population, and the tions, immigration, and certain regu- tions Conference Report is now before economic well being and viability of latory matters; all of which would be the Senate. the commercial fishing industry in my more appropriately handled by the au- This conference report serves to wrap State. thorizing committees with jurisdiction up work on all fiscal year 2001 appro- There are many specific issues that I over them. Instead of following the es- priations bills, as it includes the Treas- could comment on today, but I had the tablished practices and the regular N O T I C E Effective January 1, 2001, the subscription price of the Congressional Record will be $393 per year or $197 for six months. Individual issues may be purchased for $4.00 per copy. The cost for the microfiche edition will remain $141 per year with single copies remaining $1.50 per issue. This price increase is necessary based upon the cost of printing and distribution. Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer ∑ This ``bullet'' symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S11855 . VerDate 15-DEC-2000 02:24 Dec 18, 2000 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 8633 E:\CR\FM\A15DE6.000 pfrm04 PsN: S15PT2 S11856 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð SENATE December 15, 2000 order of enacting the thirteen annual Congress, it will not be in order for ex- ServiceÐthe federal agency with re- appropriations bills, we have in recent traneous matters to be placed in a con- sponsibility for border patrol and en- years, chosen to delay appropriations ference report. Upon a point of order's forcement of our immigration laws. bills until it is too late to do anything being made in that regard, if sustained, There is also a division of this omni- other than to package them in a man- such a conference report will be re- bus package that includes a number of ner that causes such packages to be jected. I believe that restoration of this non-appropriations matters. Those used as vehicles for all manner of non- rule will go a long way toward elimi- matters were considered carefully by appropriations issues. This has neces- nating these annual omnibus appro- Chairman STEVENS, Chairman YOUNG, sitated the adoption of late-year omni- priations measures that the Senate has Mr. OBEY and myself, at the request of bus appropriations packages well after had to deal with in the past several Members of the House and Senate. the start of the fiscal year, such as the years and is again being asked to adopt There were many more such matters one before the Senate today. This is a here today. that were considered, but were not in- practice that should never have been Having said that, Mr. President, I cluded in this final package. started and which, if not discontinued, shall vote for the pending conference Finally, the package contains a divi- I fear will gravely diminish the Senate report. It contains the Fiscal Year 2001 sion relating to tax matters, including as an institution. Senators are being appropriations bills for the Depart- the so-called Balanced Budget Act, denied the right to debate and amend ments of Labor, Health and Human BBA, Medicare fix. Those tax matters appropriations bills, all of which con- Services, and Education, for the De- were inserted into the omnibus pack- tain billions of taxpayer dollars, and partment of the Treasury and General age by the Leadership, and they fall literally thousands of funding issues af- Government, and for the Legislative into the jurisdiction of the Ways and fecting their constituents. Instead, we Branch. By far, the largest of these ap- Means and Finance Committees. Ac- are being presented with unamendable propriations bills is the Labor/HHS Ap- cordingly, we Appropriations Members omnibus appropriations packages, propriations bill. were not involved in that process. which contain many, many matters In the agreement reached on the In conclusion, Mr. President, I urge that have not had any Senate consider- Labor/HHS bill, the funding totals my colleagues to vote for this con- ation at all. In the next Congress, the some $108.9 billion in budget authority ference agreement. Despite its having 107th Congress, we should strive might- for Fiscal Year 2001. This is an increase all the flaws that we have seen in pre- ily, on a bipartisan basis, to return to of almost $12 billion from last year and vious omnibus appropriations bills, the regular order in taking up each of the represents the largest ever one-year in- time has come to finish the work of the thirteen annual appropriations bills. crease for the Labor/HHS Appropria- 106th Congress. In that way, we will The Appropriations Committee has tions bill. This amounts to more than a have a clean slate for the new Con- marked up each of the thirteen appro- 12 percent increase above last year's gress, the 107th Congress, when it con- priations bills in a timely manner level, and will enable funding levels for venes on January 3rd, and for the new every year under our distinguished education to be increased by almost 15 Administration, when our new Presi- Chairman, Senator STEVENS. He is in- percent, including an appropriation of dent, George W. Bush, is sworn into of- deed masterful in his handling of ap- more than $1 billion for a new school fice on January 20th. propriations matters and he is very renovation program. The Labor/HHS While I recognize that there are knowledgeable on the issues that come those who predict a continuation of the before the Appropriations Committee. Appropriations bill also includes crit- gridlock that we have seen in the re- He is also one who leads the Committee ical funding for many health programs cent past, or perhaps greater gridlock in a bipartisan manner at all times.