CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3194, CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000 -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 22, 1999)

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SPEECH OF HON. HAROLD ROGERS

OF KENTUCKY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, November 18, 1999

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to explain the Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary portion of H.R. 3194, making consolidated appropriations for fiscal year 2000. The revised conference report for the fiscal year 2000 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary appropriation was introduced as a separate bill, H.R. 3421, and is referenced in the final consolidated appropriations measure, H.R. 3194, adopted in the House last Wednesday.

H.R. 3421 incorporates the conference report for the original bill, H.R. 2670, plus additional items negotiated since the veto of the first conference report. This is to highlight the changes from House Report 106-398, the conference report on H.R. 2670.

Let me first highlight the funding changes.

H.R. 3421 provides an additional $616,282,000 in funding, after scorekeeping adjustments.

Under the Department of Justice, it provides an additional $151,782,000, including the following: (1) $140,000,000 for the COPS program--$117,500,000 for hiring, $10,000,000 for community prosecutors; and $12,500,000 for management and administration; and it moves $130,000,000 for crime identification technology from State and Local Law Enforcement to COPS; (2) $10,635,000 for General Legal Activities--$10,053,000 for Civil Rights Division; and $582,000 for Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States; and (3) $1,147,000 for the U.S. Parole Commission.

Under the Department of Commerce, it provides an additional $45,000,000, including: (1) $30,000,000 for NOAA Operations, Research and Facilities--$5,000,000 for the Pacific Salmon Treaty, $6,000,000 for coral reefs, $5,500,000 for Marine Sanctuaries, $2,000,000 for fisheries habitat restoration, $11,000,000 for Endangered Species Act activities, and $500,000 for GLOBE; (2) $7,000,000 for NOAA Procurement, Acquisition and Construction--$3,000,000 for Marine Sanctuaries, and $4,000,000 for National Estuarine Research Reserves; and (3) $8,000,000 for the Pacific Salmon Recovery Fund--$4,000,000 for Tribes and $2,000,000 each for California and Oregon.

Under the Department of State, it provides an additional $347,000,000, including: (1) $47,000,000 for Diplomatic and Consular Programs--$5,000,000 for the Pacific Salmon Treaty; and $42,000,000 for activities in the Kosovo region and the WTO ministerial, with up to $5,000,000 for the latter; and (2) $300,000,000 for Contributions for International Peacekeeping.

For Related Agencies, it provides an additional $81,500,000, including: (1) $3,000,000 for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; (2) $5,000,000 for the Legal Services Corporation; (3) $36,000,000 for SBA Salaries and Expenses, and an additional $10,500,000 for the New Markets initiative, subject to authorization; (4) $6,000,000 for SBA Business Loans for the New Markets initiative, subject to authorization; and (5) $21,000,000 for SBA Disaster Loans, in response to the demand on the program in large part due to Hurricane Floyd.

There were also a number of language provisions that changed:

Two Department of State General Provisions relating to Jerusalem were dropped; and

Several provisions were revised, including:

Section 108, dealing with the reorganization of Office of Justice programs;

Census framework language;

Under State Department Diplomatic and Consular programs, a new provision allowing transfer of not to exceed $4,500,000 to International Broadcasting Operations to avoid Voice of America personnel reductions;

State Contributions to International Organizations and Arrearages provisions;

Section 623, dealing with Pacific Salmon authorizations;

Section 626, dealing with discrimination or denigration of religious beliefs; and

Section 627, dealing with visa prohibitions related to countries refusing to take returnees.

The listing of these changes is intended to highlight the differences between the vetoed conference report and the final conference report, and a description of these changes is included in the Statement of Managers accompanying the conference report for H.R. 3194, which describes the final agreement for the entire Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Appropriations measures.
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