HCON 68 EAS1S
In the Senate of the United States,
March 25, 1999.
Resolved, That the resolution from the House of Representatives (H.
Con. Res. 68) entitled `Concurrent resolution establishing the congressional
budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2000 and setting forth
appropriate budgetary levels for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2009.', do
pass with the following
AMENDMENT:
Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert:
SECTION 1. CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR
2000.
(1) IN GENERAL- Congress determines and declares that this
resolution is the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2000
including the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2001 through
2009 as authorized by section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974.
(2) FISCAL YEAR 1999 BUDGET RESOLUTION- S. Res. 312, approved
October 21, 1998, (105th Congress) shall be considered to be the concurrent
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1999.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS- The table of contents for this concurrent
resolution is as follows:
Sec. 1. Concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year
2000.
TITLE I--LEVELS AND AMOUNTS
Sec. 101. Recommended levels and amounts.
Sec. 102. Social Security.
Sec. 103. Major functional categories.
Sec. 104. Reconciliation of revenue reductions in the
Senate.
Sec. 105. Reconciliation of revenue reductions in the House of
Representatives.
TITLE II--BUDGETARY RESTRAINTS AND RULEMAKING
Sec. 201. Reserve fund for agriculture.
Sec. 202. Tax reduction reserve fund in the Senate.
Sec. 203. Clarification on the application of section 202 of H. Con.
Res. 67.
Sec. 204. Emergency designation point of order.
Sec. 205. Authority to provide committee allocations.
Sec. 206. Deficit-neutral reserve fund for use of OCS
receipts.
Sec. 207. Deficit-neutral reserve fund for managed care plans that
agree to provide additional services to the elderly.
Sec. 208. Reserve fund for medicare and prescription
drugs.
Sec. 209. Exercise of rulemaking powers.
Sec. 210. Deficit-neutral reserve fund to foster the employment and
independence of individuals with disabilities.
TITLE III--SENSE OF THE CONGRESS AND THE SENATE
Sec. 301. Sense of the Senate on marriage penalty.
Sec. 302. Sense of the Senate on improving security for United
States diplomatic missions.
Sec. 303. Sense of the Senate on access to medicare home health
services.
Sec. 304. Sense of the Senate regarding the deductibility of health
insurance premiums of the self-employed.
Sec. 305. Sense of the Senate that tax reductions should go to
working families.
Sec. 306. Sense of the Senate on the National Guard.
Sec. 307. Sense of the Senate on effects of Social Security reform
on women.
Sec. 308. Sense of the Senate on increased funding for the national
institutes of health.
Sec. 309. Sense of Congress on funding for Kyoto protocol
implementation prior to Senate ratification.
Sec. 310. Sense of the Senate on Federal research and development
investment.
Sec. 311. Sense of the Senate on counter-narcotics
funding.
Sec. 312. Sense of the Senate regarding tribal colleges.
Sec. 313. Sense of the Senate on the Social Security
surplus.
Sec. 314. Sense of the Senate on need-based student financial aid
programs.
Sec. 315. Findings; sense of Congress on the protection of the
Social Security surpluses.
Sec. 316. Sense of the Senate on providing adequate funding for
United States international leadership.
Sec. 317. Sense of the Senate that the Federal Government should not
invest the Social Security Trust Funds in private financial
markets.
Sec. 318. Sense of the Senate concerning on-budget
surplus.
Sec. 319. Sense of the Senate on TEA-21 funding and the
States.
Sec. 320. Sense of the Senate that agricultural risk management
programs should benefit livestock producers.
Sec. 321. Sense of the Senate regarding the modernization and
improvement of the medicare program.
Sec. 322. Sense of the Senate on providing tax relief to all
Americans by returning non-Social Security surplus to taxpayers.
Sec. 323. Sense of the Senate regarding tax incentives for education
savings.
Sec. 324. Sense of the Senate that the One Hundred Sixth Congress,
First Sessionshould reauthorize funds for the Farmland Protection
Program.
Sec. 325. Sense of the Senate on tax cuts for lower and middle
income taxpayers.
Sec. 326. Sense of the Senate regarding reform of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986.
Sec. 327. Sense of the Senate regarding Davis-Bacon.
Sec. 328. Sense of the Senate regarding access to items and services
under medicare program.
Sec. 329. Sense of the Senate concerning autism.
Sec. 330. Sense of the Senate on women's access to obstetric and
gynecological services.
Sec. 331. Sense of the Senate on LIHEAP.
Sec. 332. Sense of the Senate on transportation
firewalls.
Sec. 333. Sense of the Senate on funding existing, effective public
health programs before creating new programs.
Sec. 334. Sense of the Senate concerning funding for special
education.
Sec. 335. Sense of the Senate on the importance of Social Security
for individuals who become disabled.
Sec. 336. Sense of the Senate regarding funding for intensive
firearms prosecution programs.
Sec. 337. Honest reporting of the deficit.
Sec. 338. Sense of the Senate concerning fostering the employment
and independence of individuals with disabilities.
Sec. 339. Sense of the Senate regarding asset-building for the
working poor.
Sec. 340. Sense of the Senate that the provisions of this resolution
assume that it is the policy of the United States to provide as soon as is
technologically possible an education for every American child that will
enable each child to effectively meet the challenges of the twenty-first
century.
Sec. 341. Sense of the Senate concerning exemption of agricultural
commodities and products, medicines, and medical products from unilateral
economic sanctions.
Sec. 342. Sense of the Senate regarding capital gains tax fairness
for family farmers.
Sec. 343. Budgeting for the Defense Science and Technology
Program.
Sec. 344. Sense of the Senate concerning funding for the Urban Parks
and Recreation Recovery (UPARR) program.
Sec. 345. Sense of the Senate on social promotion.
Sec. 346. Sense of the Senate on women and Social Security
reform.
Sec. 347. Sense of the Congress regarding South Korea's
international trade practices on pork and beef.
Sec. 348. Sense of the Senate regarding support for State and local
law enforcement.
Sec. 349. Sense of the Senate on merger enforcement by Department of
Justice.
Sec. 350. Sense of the Senate to create a task force to pursue the
creation of a natural disaster reserve fund.
Sec. 351. Sense of the Senate concerning Federal tax
relief.
Sec. 352. Sense of the Senate on eliminating the marriage penalty
and across-the-board income tax rate cuts.
Sec. 353. Sense of the Senate on importance of funding for embassy
security.
Sec. 354. Sense of the Senate on funding for after school
education.
Sec. 355. Sense of the Senate concerning recovery of funds by the
Federal Government in tobacco-related litigation.
Sec. 356. Sense of the Senate on offsetting inappropriate emergency
spending.
Sec. 357. Findings; sense of Congress on the President's fiscal year
2000 budget proposal to tax association investment income.
Sec. 358. Sense of the Senate regarding funding for
counter-narcotics initiatives.
Sec. 359. Sense of the Senate on modernizing America's
schools.
Sec. 360. Sense of the Senate concerning funding for the land and
water conservation fund.
Sec. 361. Sense of the Senate regarding support for Federal, State
and local law enforcement and for the Violent Crime Reduction Trust
Fund.
Sec. 362. Sense of the Senate regarding Social Security notch
babies.
TITLE I--LEVELS AND AMOUNTS
SEC. 101. RECOMMENDED LEVELS AND AMOUNTS.
The following budgetary levels are appropriate for the fiscal years
2000 through 2009:
(1) FEDERAL REVENUES- For purposes of the enforcement of this
resolution--
(A) The recommended levels of Federal revenues are as
follows:
Fiscal year 2000: $1,401,979,000,000.
Fiscal year 2001: $1,435,931,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: $1,455,992,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: $1,532,014,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $1,585,969,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $1,649,259,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $1,682,788,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $1,737,451,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $1,807,417,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $1,870,513,000,000.
(B) The amounts by which the aggregate levels of Federal revenues
should be changed are as follows:
Fiscal year 2001: -$6,716,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: -$52,284,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: -$31,305,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: -$48,180,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: -$61,637,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: -$107,925,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: -$133,949,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: -$148,792,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: -$175,197,000,000.
(2) NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY- For purposes of the enforcement of this
resolution, the appropriate levels of total new budget authority are as
follows:
Fiscal year 2000: $1,426,931,000,000.
Fiscal year 2001: $1,457,294,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: $1,488,477,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: $1,561,513,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $1,613,278,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $1,666,843,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $1,698,902,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $1,754,567,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $1,815,739,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $1,875,969,000,000.
(3) BUDGET OUTLAYS- For purposes of the enforcement of this
resolution, the appropriate levels of total budget outlays are as
follows:
Fiscal year 2000: $1,408,292,000,000.
Fiscal year 2001: $1,435,931,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: $1,455,992,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: $1,532,014,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $1,583,070,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $1,639,428,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $1,667,958,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $1,717,688,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $1,782,597,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $1,842,697,000,000.
(4) DEFICITS OR SURPLUSES- For purposes of the enforcement of this
resolution, the amounts of the deficits or surpluses are as
follows:
Fiscal year 2000: -$6,313,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $2,899,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $9,831,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $14,830,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $19,763,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $24,820,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $27,816,000,000.
(5) PUBLIC DEBT- The appropriate levels of the public debt are as
follows:
Fiscal year 2000: $5,635,900,000,000.
Fiscal year 2001: $5,716,100,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: $5,801,000,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: $5,885,000,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $5,962,200,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $6,029,400,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $6,088,100,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $6,138,900,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $6,175,100,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $6,203,500,000,000.
(6) DEBT HELD BY THE PUBLIC- The appropriate levels of the debt held
by the public are as follows:
Fiscal year 2000: $3,510,000,000,000.
Fiscal year 2001: $3,377,700,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: $3,236,900,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: $3,088,200,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $2,926,000,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $2,742,900,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $2,544,200,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $2,329,100,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $2,099,500,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $1,861,100,000,000.
SEC. 102. SOCIAL SECURITY.
(a) SOCIAL SECURITY REVENUES- For purposes of Senate enforcement under
sections 302, and 311 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the amounts of
revenues of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the
Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund are as follows:
Fiscal year 2000: $468,020,000,000.
Fiscal year 2001: $487,744,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: $506,293,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: $527,326,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $549,876,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $576,840,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $601,834,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $628,277,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $654,422,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $681,313,000,000.
(b) SOCIAL SECURITY OUTLAYS- For purposes of Senate enforcement under
sections 302, and 311 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the amounts of
outlays of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the
Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund are as follows:
Fiscal year 2000: $327,256,000,000.
Fiscal year 2001: $339,789,000,000.
Fiscal year 2002: $350,127,000,000.
Fiscal year 2003: $362,197,000,000.
Fiscal year 2004: $375,253,000,000.
Fiscal year 2005: $389,485,000,000.
Fiscal year 2006: $404,596,000,000.
Fiscal year 2007: $420,616,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008: $438,132,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009: $459,496,000,000.
SEC. 103. MAJOR FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES.
Congress determines and declares that the appropriate levels of new
budget authority, budget outlays, new direct loan obligations, and new primary
loan guarantee commitments for fiscal years 2000 through 2009 for each major
functional category are:
(1) National Defense (050):
(A) New budget authority, $288,812,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $274,567,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $303,616,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $285,949,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $308,175,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $291,714,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $318,277,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $303,642,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $327,166,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $313,460,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $328,370,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $316,675,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $329,600,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $315,111,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $330,870,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $313,687,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $332,176,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $317,103,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $333,452,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $318,041,000,000.
(2) International Affairs (150):
(A) New budget authority, $12,511,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $14,850,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,716,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $15,362,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $11,985,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $14,781,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $13,590,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $14,380,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,494,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $14,133,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,651,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $13,807,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,834,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $13,513,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,929,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $13,352,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,998,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $13,181,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,962,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $13,054,000,000.
(3) General Science, Space, and Technology (250):
(A) New budget authority, $17,955,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $18,214,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,946,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,907,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,880,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,784,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,772,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,768,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,768,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,768,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,768,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $17,912,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $17,768,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $49,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$650,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$1,435,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$3,136,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$163,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,138,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$84,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,243,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$319,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,381,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$447,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,452,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$452,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,453,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$506,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,431,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$208,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,137,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$76,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$1,067,000,000.
(5) Natural Resources and Environment (300):
(A) New budget authority, $21,720,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,444,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $21,183,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $21,729,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $20,747,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $21,023,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $22,479,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,579,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $22,492,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,503,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $22,536,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,429,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $22,566,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,466,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $22,667,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,425,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $22,658,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,361,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $23,041,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,738,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,831,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $13,660,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $13,519,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $11,279,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $11,288,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,536,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $11,955,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $10,252,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,072,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $10,526,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $10,553,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,882,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $10,609,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,083,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $10,711,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,145,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $10,763,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,162,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $10,853,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,223,000,000.
(7) Commerce and Housing Credit (370):
(A) New budget authority, $9,664,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $4,270,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $10,620,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $5,754,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,450,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $10,188,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $14,529,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $10,875,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $13,859,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $10,439,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,660,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,437,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,635,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $9,130,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,666,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $8,879,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,642,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $8,450,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $13,415,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $8,824,000,000.
(8) Transportation (400):
(A) New budget authority, $51,325,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $45,333,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $51,128,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $47,711,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $51,546,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $47,765,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $52,477,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $46,720,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $52,580,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $46,207,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $52,609,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $46,022,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $52,640,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $45,990,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $52,673,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $45,990,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $52,707,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $46,007,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $52,742,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $46,033,000,000.
(9) Community and Regional Development (450):
(A) New budget authority, $5,343,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $10,273,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,704,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $7,517,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $1,889,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $4,667,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,042,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $2,964,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,037,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $2,120,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,030,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $1,234,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,027,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $931,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,021,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $795,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,019,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $724,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $2,013,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $688,000,000.
(10) Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services
(500):
(A) New budget authority, $67,373,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $63,994,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $66,549,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $65,355,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $67,295,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $66,037,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $73,334,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $68,531,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $76,648,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $72,454,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $77,464,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $75,891,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $78,229,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $77,189,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $79,133,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $78,119,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $80,144,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $79,109,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $80,051,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $79,059,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $156,181,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $152,986,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $164,089,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $162,357,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $173,330,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $173,767,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $184,679,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $185,330,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $197,893,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $198,499,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $212,821,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $212,637,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $228,379,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $228,323,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $246,348,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $245,472,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $265,160,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $264,420,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $285,541,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $284,941,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $208,652,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $208,698,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $222,104,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $222,252,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $230,593,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $230,222,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $250,743,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $250,871,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $268,558,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $268,738,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $295,574,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $295,188,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $306,772,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $306,929,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $337,566,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $337,761,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $365,642,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $365,225,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $394,078,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $394,249,000,000.
(13) Income Security (600):
(A) New budget authority, $244,390,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $248,088,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $251,873,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $257,750,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $264,620,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $267,411,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $277,386,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $277,175,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $286,576,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $286,388,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $298,942,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $299,128,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $305,655,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $305,943,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $312,047,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $312,753,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $325,315,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $326,666,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $335,562,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $337,102,000,000.
(14) Veterans Benefits and Services (700):
(A) New budget authority, $46,724,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $47,064,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $44,255,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $44,980,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $44,728,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $45,117,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $45,536,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $46,024,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $45,862,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $46,327,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $48,341,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $48,844,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $46,827,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $47,373,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $47,377,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $45,803,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $47,959,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $48,505,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $48,578,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $49,150,000,000.
(15) Administration of Justice (750):
(A) New budget authority, $23,434,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $25,349,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $24,656,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $25,117,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $24,657,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $24,932,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $24,561,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $24,425,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $24,467,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $24,356,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $24,355,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $24,242,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $24,242,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $24,121,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $24,114,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $23,996,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $23,989,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $23,885,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $23,833,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $23,720,000,000.
(16) General Government (800):
(A) New budget authority, $12,339,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $13,476,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $11,916,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $12,605,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,080,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $12,282,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,083,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $12,150,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,099,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $12,186,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,112,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $11,906,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,134,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $11,839,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,150,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $11,873,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,169,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $12,064,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $12,178,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $11,931,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $275,682,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $275,682,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $271,443,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $271,443,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $267,855,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $267,855,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $265,573,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $265,573,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $263,835,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $263,835,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $261,411,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $261,411,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $259,195,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $259,195,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $257,618,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $257,618,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $255,177,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $255,177,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, $253,001,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $253,001,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$10,033,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$10,094,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$8,480,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$12,874,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$6,437,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$19,976,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$4,394,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$4,835,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$4,481,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$5,002,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$4,515,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$5,067,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$4,619,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$5,192,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$5,210,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$5,780,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$5,279,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$5,851,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$5,316,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$5,889,000,000.
(19) Undistributed Offsetting Receipts (950):
(A) New budget authority, -$34,260,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$34,260,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$36,876,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$36,876,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$43,626,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$43,626,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$37,464,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$37,464,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$37,559,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$37,559,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$38,497,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$38,497,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$39,178,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$39,178,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$40,426,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$40,426,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$41,237,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$41,237,000,000.
(A) New budget authority, -$42,084,000,000.
(B) Outlays, -$42,084,000,000.
SEC. 104. RECONCILIATION OF REVENUE REDUCTIONS IN THE SENATE.
Not later than June 18, 1999, the Senate Committee on Finance shall
report to the Senate a reconciliation bill proposing changes in laws within
its jurisdiction necessary--
(1) to reduce revenues by not more than $0 in fiscal year 2000,
$138,485,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004, and
$765,985,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2009;
and
(2) to decrease the statutory limit on the public debt to not more
than $5,865,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2000.
SEC. 105. RECONCILIATION OF REVENUE REDUCTIONS IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
Not later than June 11, 1999, the Committee on Ways and Means shall
report to the House of Representatives a reconciliation bill proposing changes
in laws within its jurisdiction necessary--
(1) to reduce revenues by not more than $0 in fiscal year 2000,
$142,034,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004, and
$777,587,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2009;
and
(2) to decrease the statutory limit on the public debt to not more
than $5,865,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2000.
TITLE II--BUDGETARY RESTRAINTS AND RULEMAKING
SEC. 201. RESERVE FUND FOR AGRICULTURE.
(a) ADJUSTMENT- If legislation is reported by the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry that provides risk management and income
assistance for agriculture producers, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on
the Budget may increase the allocation of budget authority and outlays to that
Committee by an amount that does not exceed--
(1) $500,000,000 in budget authority and in outlays for fiscal year
2000; and
(2) $6,000,000,000 in budget authority and $5,165,000,000 in outlays
for the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; and
(3) $6,000,000,000 in budget authority and in outlays for the period
of fiscal years 2000 through 2009.
(b) LIMITATION- The Chairman shall not make the adjustments authorized
in this section if legislation described in subsection (a) would cause an
on-budget deficit when taken with all other legislation enacted for--
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
(c) BUDGETARY ENFORCEMENT- Revised allocations under subsection (a)
shall be considered for the purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974
as allocations contained in this resolution.
SEC. 202. TAX REDUCTION RESERVE FUND IN THE SENATE.
(a) IN GENERAL- In the Senate, the Chairman of the Committee on the
Budget of the Senate may reduce the spending and revenue aggregates and may
revise committee allocations for legislation that reduces revenues if such
legislation will not increase the deficit for--
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2009.
(b) BUDGETARY ENFORCEMENT- Revised allocations and aggregates under
subsection (a) shall be considered for the purposes of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 as allocations and aggregates contained in this
resolution.
(c) LIMITATION- This reserve fund will give priority to the following
types of tax relief--
(1) tax relief to help working families afford child care, including
assistance for families with a parent staying out of the workforce in order
to care for young children;
(2) tax relief to help individuals and their families afford the
expense of long-term health care;
(3) tax relief to ease the tax code's marriage penalties on working
families;
(4) any other individual tax relief targeted exclusively for
families in the bottom 90 percent of the family income
distribution;
(5) the extension of the Research and Experimentation tax credit,
the Work Opportunity tax credit, and other expiring tax provisions, a number
of which are important to help American businesses compete in the modern
international economy and to help bring the benefits of a strong economy to
disadvantaged individuals and communities;
(6) tax incentives to help small businesses; and
(7) tax relief provided by accelerating the increase in the
deductibility of health insurance premiums for the self-employed.
SEC. 203. CLARIFICATION ON THE APPLICATION OF SECTION 202 OF H. CON.
RES. 67.
Section 202(b) of H. Con. Res. 67 (104th Congress) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking `the deficit' and inserting `the
on-budget deficit or cause an on-budget deficit'; and
(2) in paragraph (6), by--
(A) striking `increases the deficit' and inserting `increases the
on-budget deficit or causes an on-budget deficit'; and
(B) striking `increase the deficit' and inserting `increase the
on-budget deficit or cause an on-budget deficit'.
SEC. 204. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION POINT OF ORDER.
(1) GUIDANCE- In making a designation of a provision of legislation
as an emergency requirement under section 251(b)(2)(A) or 252(e) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, the committee
report and any statement of managers accompanying that legislation shall
analyze whether a proposed emergency requirement meets all the criteria in
paragraph (2).
(A) IN GENERAL- The criteria to be considered in determining
whether a proposed expenditure or tax change is an emergency requirement
are whether it is--
(i) necessary, essential, or vital (not merely useful or
beneficial);
(ii) sudden, quickly coming into being, and not building up over
time;
(iii) an urgent, pressing, and compelling need requiring
immediate action;
(iv) subject to subparagraph (B), unforeseen, unpredictable, and
unanticipated; and
(v) not permanent, temporary in nature.
(B) UNFORESEEN- An emergency that is part of an aggregate level of
anticipated emergencies, particularly when normally estimated in advance,
is not unforeseen.
(3) JUSTIFICATION FOR FAILURE TO MEET CRITERIA- If the proposed
emergency requirement does not meet all the criteria set forth in paragraph
(2), the committee report or the statement of managers, as the case may be,
shall provide a written justification of why the requirement should be
accorded emergency status.
(1) IN GENERAL- When the Senate is considering a bill, resolution,
amendment, motion, or conference report, upon a point of order being made by
a Senator against any provision in that measure designated as an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) or 252(e) of the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and the Presiding Officer
sustains that point of order, that provision along with the language making
the designation shall be stricken from the measure and may not be offered as
an amendment from the floor.
(2) GENERAL POINT OF ORDER- A point of order under this subsection
may be raised by a Senator as provided in section 313(e) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
(3) CONFERENCE REPORTS- If a point of order is sustained under this
subsection against a conference report the report shall be disposed of as
provided in section 313(d) of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974.
SEC. 205. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE COMMITTEE ALLOCATIONS.
In the event there is no joint explanatory statement accompanying a
conference report on the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year
2000, and in conformance with section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the House of
Representatives and of the Senate shall submit for printing in the
Congressional Record allocations consistent with the concurrent resolution on
the budget for fiscal year 2000, as passed by the House of Representatives and
of the Senate.
SEC. 206. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND FOR USE OF OCS
RECEIPTS.
(a) IN GENERAL- In the Senate, spending aggregates and other
appropriate budgetary levels and limits may be adjusted and allocations may be
revised for legislation that would use proceeds from Outer Continental Shelf
leasing and production to fund historic preservation, recreation and land,
water, fish, and wildlife conservation efforts and to support coastal needs
and activities, provided that, to the extent that this concurrent resolution
on the budget does not include the costs of that legislation, the enactment of
that legislation will not increase (by virtue of either contemporaneous or
previously passed deficit reduction) the deficit in this resolution
for--
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
(1) ADJUSTMENTS FOR LEGISLATION- Upon the consideration of
legislation pursuant to subsection (a), the Chairman of the Committee on the
Budget of the Senate may file with the Senate appropriately revised
allocations under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and
revised functional levels and aggregates to carry out this section. These
revised allocations, functional levels, and aggregates shall be considered
for the purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as allocations,
functional levels, and aggregates contained in this resolution.
(2) ADJUSTMENTS FOR AMENDMENTS- If the Chairman of the Committee on
the Budget of the Senate submits an adjustment under this section for
legislation in furtherance of the purpose described in subsection (a), upon
the offering of an amendment to that legislation that would necessitate such
submission, the Chairman shall submit to the Senate appropriately revised
allocations under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and
revised functional levels and aggregates to carry out this section. These
revised allocations, functional levels, and aggregates shall be considered
for the purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as allocations,
functional levels, and aggregates contained in this resolution.
(c) REPORTING REVISED ALLOCATIONS- The appropriate committees shall
report appropriately revised allocations pursuant to section 302(b) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to carry out this section.
SEC. 207. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND FOR MANAGED CARE PLANS THAT AGREE
TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SERVICES TO THE ELDERLY.
(a) IN GENERAL- In the Senate, spending aggregates and other
appropriate budgetary levels and limits may be adjusted and allocations may be
revised for legislation to provide: additional funds for medicare managed care
plans agreeing to serve elderly patients for at least 2 years and whose
reimbursement was reduced because of the risk adjustment regulations, provided
that to the extent that this concurrent resolution on the budget does not
include the costs of that legislation, the enactment of that legislation will
not increase (by virtue of either contemporaneous or previously passed deficit
reduction) the deficit in this resolution for--
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
(1) ADJUSTMENTS FOR LEGISLATION- Upon the consideration of
legislation pursuant to subsection (a), the Chairman of the Committee on the
Budget of the Senate may file with the Senate appropriately revised
allocations under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and
revised functional level and spending aggregates to carry out this section.
These revised allocations, functional levels, and spending aggregates shall
be considered for the purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as
allocations, functional levels, and aggregates contained in this
resolution.
(2) ADJUSTMENTS FOR AMENDMENTS- If the Chairman of the Committee on
the Budget of the Senate submits an adjustment under this section for
legislation in furtherance of the purpose described in subsection (a), upon
the offering of an amendment to that legislation that would necessitate such
submission, the Chairman shall submit to the Senate appropriately revised
allocations under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and
revised functional levels and spending aggregates to carry out this section.
These revised allocations, functional levels, and aggregates shall be
considered for the purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as
allocations, functional levels, and aggregates contained in this
resolution.
(d) REPORTING REVISED ALLOCATIONS- The appropriate committees shall
report appropriately revised allocations pursuant to section 302(b) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to carry out this section.
SEC. 208. RESERVE FUND FOR MEDICARE AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
(a) ADJUSTMENT- If legislation is reported by the Senate Committee on
Finance that significantly extends the solvency of the Medicare Hospital
Insurance Trust Fund without the use of transfers of new subsidies from the
general fund, the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget may change committee
allocations and spending aggregates if such legislation will not cause an
on-budget deficit for--
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
(b) PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT- The adjustments made pursuant to
subsection (a) may be made to address the cost of the prescription drug
benefit.
(c) BUDGETARY ENFORCEMENT- The revision of allocations and aggregates
made under this section shall be considered for the purposes of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as allocations and aggregates contained in
this resolution.
SEC. 209. EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWERS.
Congress adopts the provisions of this title--
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and the
House of Representatives, respectively, and as such they shall be considered
as part of the rules of each House, or of that House to which they
specifically apply, and such rules shall supersede other rules only to the
extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of either
House to change those rules (so far as they relate to that House) at any
time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other
rule of that House.
SEC. 210. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND TO FOSTER THE EMPLOYMENT AND
INDEPENDENCE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL- In the Senate, revenue and spending aggregates and
other appropriate budgetary levels and limits may be adjusted and allocations
may be revised for legislation that finances disability programs designed to
allow individuals with disabilities to become employed and remain independent:
Provided, That, to the extent that this concurrent resolution on the
budget does not include the costs of that legislation, the enactment of that
legislation will not increase (by virtue of either contemporaneous or
previously-passed deficit reduction) the deficit in this resolution
for--
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
(1) ADJUSTMENTS FOR LEGISLATION- Upon the consideration of
legislation pursuant to subsection (a), the Chairman of the Committee on the
Budget of the Senate may file with the Senate appropriately-revised
allocations under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and
revised functional levels and aggregates to carry out this section. These
revised allocations, functional levels, and aggregates shall be considered
for the purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as allocations,
functional levels, and aggregates contained in this resolution.
(2) ADJUSTMENTS FOR AMENDMENTS- If the chairman of the Committee on
the Budget of the Senate submits an adjustment under this section for
legislation in furtherance of the purpose described in subsection (a), upon
the offering of an amendment to that legislation that would necessitate such
submission, the Chairman shall submit to the Senate appropriately-revised
allocations under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and
revised functional levels and aggregates to carry out this section. These
revised allocations, functional levels, and aggregates shall be considered
for the purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as allocations,
functional levels, and aggregates contained in this resolution.
(c) REPORTING REVISED ALLOCATIONS- The appropriate committees shall
report appropriately-revised allocations pursuant to section 302(b) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to carry out this section.
TITLE III--SENSE OF THE CONGRESS AND THE SENATE
SEC. 301. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON MARRIAGE PENALTY.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that--
(1) differences in income tax liabilities caused by marital status
are embodied in a number of tax code provisions including separate rate
schedules and standard deductions for married couples and single
individuals;
(2) according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 42 percent
of married couples incurred `marriage penalties' under the tax code in 1996,
averaging nearly $1,400;
(3) measured as a percent of income, marriage penalties are largest
for low-income families, as couples with incomes below $20,000 who incurred
a marriage penalty in 1996 were forced to pay nearly 8 percent more of their
income in taxes than if they had been able to file individual
returns;
(4) empirical evidence indicates that the marriage penalty may
affect work patterns, particularly for a couple's second earner, because
higher rates reduce after-tax wages and may cause second earners to work
fewer hours or not at all, which, in turn, reduces economic efficiency;
and
(5) the tax code should not improperly influence the choice of
couples with regard to marital status by having the combined Federal income
tax liability of a couple be higher if they are married than if they are
single.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that significantly reducing or eliminating the marriage penalty should be a
component of any tax cut package reported by the Finance Committee and passed
by Congress during the fiscal year 2000 budget reconciliation process.
SEC. 302. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON IMPROVING SECURITY FOR UNITED STATES
DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the levels in this resolution
assume that there is an urgent and ongoing requirement to improve security for
United States diplomatic missions and personnel abroad, which should be met
without compromising existing budgets for International Affairs (function
150).
SEC. 303. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON ACCESS TO MEDICARE HOME HEALTH
SERVICES.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) medicare home health services provide a vitally important option
enabling homebound individuals to stay in their own homes and communities
rather than go into institutionalized care; and
(2) implementation of the Interim Payment System and other changes
to the medicare home health benefit have exacerbated inequalities in
payments for home health services between regions, limiting access to these
services in many areas and penalizing efficient, low-cost
providers.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate the levels in
this resolution assume that the Senate should act to ensure fair and equitable
access to high quality home health services.
SEC. 304. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE DEDUCTIBILITY OF HEALTH
INSURANCE PREMIUMS OF THE SELF-EMPLOYED.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) under current law, the self-employed do not enjoy parity with
their corporate competitors with respect to the tax deductibility of their
health insurance premiums;
(2) this April, the self-employed will only be able to deduct only
45 percent of their health insurance premiums for the tax year
1998;
(3) the following April, the self-employed will be able to take a
60-percent deduction for their health insurance premiums for the tax year
1999;
(4) it will not be until 2004 that the self-employed will be able to
take a full 100-percent deduction for their health insurance premiums for
the tax year 2003;
(5) the self-employed's health insurance premiums are generally over
30 percent higher than the health insurance premiums of group health
plans;
(6) the increased cost coupled with the less favorable tax treatment
makes health insurance less affordable for the self-employed;
(7) these disadvantages are reflected in the higher rate of
uninsured among the self-employed which stands at 24.1 percent compared with
18.2 percent for all wage and salaried workers, for self-employed living at
or below the poverty level the rate of uninsured is 53.1 percent, for
self-employed living at 100 through 199 percent of poverty the rate of
uninsured is 47 percent, and for self-employed living at 200 percent of
poverty and above the rate of uninsured is 17.8 percent;
(8) for some self-employed, such as farmers who face significant
occupational safety hazards, this lack of health insurance affordability has
even greater ramifications; and
(9) this lack of full deductibility is also adversely affecting the
growing number of women who own small businesses.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that tax relief legislation should include parity
between the self-employed and corporations with respect to the tax treatment
of health insurance premiums.
SEC. 305. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT TAX REDUCTIONS SHOULD GO TO WORKING
FAMILIES.
It is the sense of the Senate that this concurrent resolution on the
budget assumes any reductions in taxes should be structured to benefit working
families by providing family tax relief and incentives to stimulate savings,
investment, job creation, and economic growth.
SEC. 306. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE NATIONAL GUARD.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the Army National Guard relies heavily upon thousands of
full-time employees, Military Technicians and Active Guard/Reserves, to
ensure unit readiness throughout the Army National Guard;
(2) these employees perform vital day-to-day functions, ranging from
equipment maintenance to leadership and staff roles, that allow the drill
weekends and annual active duty training of the traditional Guardsmen to be
dedicated to preparation for the National Guard's warfighting and peacetime
missions;
(3) when the ability to provide sufficient Active Guard/Reserves and
Technicians end strength is reduced, unit readiness, as well as quality of
life for soldiers and families is degraded;
(4) the Army National Guard, with agreement from the Department of
Defense, requires a minimum essential requirement of 23,500 Active
Guard/Reserves and 25,500 Technicians; and
(5) the fiscal year 2000 budget request for the Army National Guard
provides resources sufficient for approximately 21,807 Active Guard/Reserves
and 22,500 Technicians, end strength shortfalls of 3,000 and 1,693,
respectively.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
functional totals in the budget resolution assume that the Department of
Defense will give priority to providing adequate resources to sufficiently
fund the Active Guard/Reserves and Military Technicians at minimum required
levels.
SEC. 307. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON EFFECTS OF SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM ON
WOMEN.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the Social Security benefit structure is of particular
importance to low-earning wives and widows, with 63 percent of women
beneficiaries aged 62 or older receiving wife's or widow's
benefits;
(2) three-quarters of unmarried and widowed elderly women rely on
Social Security for more than half of their income;
(3) without Social Security benefits, the elderly poverty rate among
women would have been 52.2 percent, and among widows would have been 60.6
percent;
(4) women tend to live longer and tend to have lower lifetime
earnings than men do;
(5) women spend an average of 11.5 years out of their careers to
care for their families, and are more likely to work part-time than
full-time; and
(6) during these years in the workforce, women earn an average of 70
cents for every dollar men earn.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that--
(1) women face unique obstacles in ensuring retirement security and
survivor and disability stability;
(2) Social Security plays an essential role in guaranteeing
inflation-protected financial stability for women throughout their entire
old age; and
(3) the Congress and the President should take these factors into
account when considering proposals to reform the Social Security
system.
SEC. 308. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON INCREASED FUNDING FOR THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the National Institutes of Health is the Nation's foremost
research center;
(2) the Nation's commitment to and investment in biomedical research
has resulted in better health and an improved quality of life for all
Americans;
(3) continued biomedical research funding must be ensured so that
medical doctors and scientists have the security to commit to conducting
long-term research studies;
(4) funding for the National Institutes of Health should continue to
increase in order to prevent the cessation of biomedical research studies
and the loss of medical doctors and research scientists to private research
organizations; and
(5) the National Institutes of Health conducts research protocols
without proprietary interests, thereby ensuring that the best health care is
researched and made available to the Nation.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that there shall be a continuation of the pattern of budgetary increases for
biomedical research.
SEC. 309. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FUNDING FOR KYOTO PROTOCOL IMPLEMENTATION
PRIOR TO SENATE RATIFICATION.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds the following:
(1) The agreement signed by the Administration on November 12, 1998,
regarding legally binding commitments on greenhouse gas reductions is
inconsistent with the provisions of S. Res. 98, the Byrd-Hagel Resolution,
which passed the Senate unanimously.
(2) The Administration has agreed to allowing at least 2 additional
years for negotiations on the Buenos Aires Action Plan to determine the
provisions of several vital aspects of the Treaty for the United States,
including emissions trading schemes, carbon sinks, a clean development
mechanism, and developing Nation participation.
(3) The Administration has not submitted the Kyoto Protocol to the
Senate for ratification and has indicated it has no intention to do so in
the foreseeable future.
(4) The Administration has pledged to Congress that it would not
implement any portion of the Kyoto Protocol prior to its ratification in the
Senate.
(5) Congress agrees that Federal expenditures are required and
appropriate for activities which both improve the environment and reduce
carbon dioxide emissions. Those activities include programs to promote
energy efficient technologies, encourage technology development that reduces
or sequesters greenhouse gases, encourage the development and use of
alternative and renewable fuel technologies, and other programs justifiable
independent of the goals of the Kyoto Protocol.
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS- It is the sense of Congress that the levels in
this resolution assume that funds should not be provided to put into effect
the Kyoto Protocol prior to its Senate ratification in compliance with the
requirements of the Byrd-Hagel Resolution and consistent with previous
Administration assurances to Congress.
SEC. 310. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
INVESTMENT.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds the following:
(1) A dozen internationally, prestigious economic studies have shown
that technological progress has historically been the single most important
factor in economic growth, having more than twice the impact of labor or
capital.
(2) The link between economic growth and technology is evident: our
dominant high technology industries are currently responsible for 80 percent
of the value of today's stock market, 1/3 of our economic output, and half
of our economic growth. Furthermore, the link between Federal funding of
research and development (R&D) and market products is conclusive: 70
percent of all patent applications cite nonprofit or federally-funded
research as a core component to the innovation being patented.
(3) The revolutionary high technology applications of today were
spawned from scientific advances that occurred in the 1960's, when the
Government intensively funded R&D. In the 3 decades since then, our
investment in R&D as a fraction of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has
dropped to half its former value. As a fraction of the Federal budget, the
investment in civilian R&D has dropped to only 1/3 its value in
1965.
(4) Compared to other foreign nation's investment in science and
technology, American competitiveness is slipping: an Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development report notes that 14 countries now
invest more in basic and fundamental research as a fraction of GDP than the
United States.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that the Federal investment in R&D should be
preserved and increased in order to ensure long-term United States economic
strength. Funding for Federal agencies performing basic scientific, medical,
and precompetitive engineering research pursuant to the Balanced Budget
Agreement Act of 1997 should be a priority for the Senate Budget and
Appropriations Committees this year, within the Budget as established by this
Committee, in order to achieve a goal of doubling the Federal investment in
R&D over an 11 year period.
SEC. 311. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON COUNTER-NARCOTICS FUNDING.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the drug crisis facing the United States is a top national
security threat;
(2) the spread of illicit drugs through United States borders cannot
be halted without an effective drug interdiction strategy;
(3) effective drug interdiction efforts have been shown to limit the
availability of illicit narcotics, drive up the street price, support demand
reduction efforts, and decrease overall drug trafficking and use;
and
(4) the percentage change in drug use since 1992, among graduating
high school students who used drugs in the past 12 months, has substantially
increased--marijuana use is up 80 percent, cocaine use is up 80 percent, and
heroin use is up 100 percent.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
assumptions underlying the functional totals included in this resolution
assume the following:
(1) All counter-narcotics agencies will be given a high priority for
fully funding their counter-narcotics mission.
(2) Front line drug fighting agencies are dedicating more resources
for intentional efforts to continue restoring a balanced drug control
strategy. Congress should carefully examine the reauthorization of the
United States Customs service and ensure they have adequate resources and
authority not only to facilitate the movement of internationally traded
goods but to ensure they can aggressively pursue their law enforcement
activities.
(3) By pursuing a balanced effort which requires investment in 3 key
areas: demand reduction (such as education and treatment); domestic law
enforcement; and international supply reduction, Congress believes we can
reduce the number of children who are exposed to and addicted to illegal
drugs.
SEC. 312. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING TRIBAL COLLEGES.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) more than 26,500 students from 250 tribes nationwide attend
tribal colleges. The colleges serve students of all ages, many of whom are
moving from welfare to work. The vast majority of tribal college students
are first-generation college students;
(2) while annual appropriations for tribal colleges have increased
modestly in recent years, core operation funding levels are still about 1/2
of the $6,000 per Indian student level authorized by the Tribally Controlled
College or University Act;
(3) although tribal colleges received a $1,400,000 increase in
funding in fiscal year 1999, because of rising student populations, these
institutions faced an actual per-student decrease in funding over fiscal
year 1998; and
(4) per student funding for tribal colleges is only about 63 percent
of the amount given to mainstream community colleges ($2,964 per student at
tribal colleges versus $4,743 per student at mainstream community
colleges).
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) this resolution recognizes the funding difficulties faced by
tribal colleges and assumes that priority consideration will be provided to
them through funding for the Tribally Controlled College and University Act,
the 1994 Land Grant Institutions, and title III of the Higher Education Act;
and
(2) the levels in this resolution assume that such priority
consideration reflects Congress' intent to continue work toward current
statutory Federal funding goals for the tribal colleges.
SEC. 313. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that--
(1) according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) January 1999
`Economic and Budget Outlook,' the Social Security Trust Fund is projected
to incur annual surpluses of $126,000,000,000 in fiscal year 1999,
$137,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2000, $144,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2001,
$153,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2002, $161,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2003,
and $171,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2004;
(2) the fiscal year 2000 budget resolution crafted by Chairman
Domenici assumes that Trust Fund surpluses will be used to reduce
publicly-held debt and for no other purposes, and calls for the enactment of
statutory legislation that would enforce this assumption;
(3) the President's fiscal year 2000 budget proposal not only fails
to call for legislation that will ensure annual Social Security surpluses
are used strictly to reduce publicly-held debt, but actually spends a
portion of these surpluses on non-Social Security programs;
(4) using CBO's re-estimate of his budget proposal, the President
would spend approximately $40,000,000,000 of the Social Security surplus in
fiscal year 2000 on non-Social Security programs; $41,000,000,000 in fiscal
year 2001; $24,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2002; $34,000,000,000 in fiscal
year 2003; and $20,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2004; and
(5) spending any portion of an annual Social Security surplus on
non-Social Security programs is wholly-inconsistent with efforts to preserve
and protect Social Security for future generations.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that Congress shall reject any budget that would spend any portion of the
Social Security surpluses generated in any fiscal year for any Federal program
other than Social Security.
SEC. 314. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON NEED-BASED STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
PROGRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) public investment in higher education yields a return of several
dollars for each dollar invested;
(2) higher education promotes economic opportunity for individuals,
as recipients of bachelor's degrees earn an average of 75 percent per year
more than those with high school diplomas and experience half as much
unemployment as high school graduates;
(3) higher education promotes social opportunity, as increased
education is correlated with reduced criminal activity, lessened reliance on
public assistance, and increased civic participation;
(4) a more educated workforce will be essential for continued
economic competitiveness in an age where the amount of information available
to society will double in a matter of days rather than months or
years;
(5) access to a college education has become a hallmark of American
society, and is vital to upholding our belief in equality of
opportunity;
(6) for a generation, the Federal Pell Grant has served as an
established and effective means of providing access to higher education for
students with financial need;
(7) over the past decade, Pell Grant awards have failed to keep pace
with inflation, eroding their value and threatening access to higher
education for the Nation's neediest students;
(8) grant aid as a portion of all students financial aid has fallen
significantly over the past 5 years;
(9) the Nation's neediest students are now borrowing approximately
as much as its wealthiest students to finance higher education;
and
(10) the percentage of freshmen attending public and private 4-year
institutions from families below national median income has fallen since
1981.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that within the
discretionary allocation provided to the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate for function 500--
(1) the maximum amount of Federal Pell Grants should be increased by
$400;
(2) funding for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity
Grants Program should be increased by $65,000,000;
(3) funding for the Federal capital contributions under the Federal
Perkins Loan Program should be increased by $35,000,000;
(4) funding for the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership
Program should be increased by $50,000,000;
(5) funding for the Federal Work-Study Program should be increased
by $64,000,000;
(6) funding for the Federal TRIO Programs should be increased by
$100,000,000.
SEC. 315. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE PROTECTION OF THE SOCIAL
SECURITY SURPLUSES.
(a) The Congress finds that--
(1) Congress and the President should balance the budget excluding
the surpluses generated by the Social Security Trust Funds;
(2) reducing the Federal debt held by the public is a top national
priority, strongly supported on a bipartisan basis, as evidenced by Federal
Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's comment that debt reduction `is a very
important element in sustaining economic growth', as well as President
Clinton's comments that it `is very, very important that we get the
Government debt down' when referencing his own plans to use the budget
surplus to reduce Federal debt held by the public;
(3) according to the Congressional Budget Office, balancing the
budget excluding the surpluses generated by the Social Security Trust Funds
will reduce debt held by the public by a total of $1,723,000,000,000 by the
end of fiscal year 2009, $417,000,000,000, or 32 percent, more than it would
be reduced under the President's fiscal year 2000 budget
submission;
(4) further, according to the Congressional Budget Office, that the
President's budget would actually spend $40,000,000,000 of the Social
Security surpluses in fiscal year 2000 on new spending programs, and spend
$158,000,000,000 of the Social Security surpluses on new spending programs
from fiscal year 2000 through 2004; and
(5) Social Security surpluses should be used for Social Security
reform or to reduce the debt held by the public and should not be used for
other purposes.
(b) It is the sense of Congress that the functional totals in this
concurrent resolution on the budget assume that Congress shall pass
legislation which--
(1) reaffirms the provisions of section 13301 of the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1990 that provides that the receipts and disbursements
of the Social Security Trust Funds shall not be counted for the purposes of
the budget submitted by the President, the congressional budget, or the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, and provides for
a point of order within the Senate against any concurrent resolution on the
budget, an amendment thereto, or a conference report thereon that violates
that section;
(2) mandates that the Social Security surpluses are used only for
the payment of Social Security benefits, Social Security reform or to reduce
the Federal debt held by the public, and not spent on non-Social Security
programs or used to offset tax cuts;
(3) provides for a Senate super-majority point of order against any
bill, resolution, amendment, motion or conference report that would use
Social Security surpluses on anything other than the payment of Social
Security benefits, Social Security reform or the reduction of the Federal
debt held by the public;
(4) ensures that all Social Security benefits are paid on time;
and
(5) accommodates Social Security reform legislation.
SEC. 316. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON PROVIDING ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR UNITED
STATES INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) United States international leadership is essential to
maintaining security and peace for all Americans;
(2) such leadership depends on effective diplomacy as well as a
strong military;
(3) effective diplomacy requires adequate resources both for embassy
security and for international programs;
(4) in addition to building peace, prosperity and democracy around
the world, programs in the International Affairs (150) account serve United
States interests by ensuring better jobs and a higher standard of living,
promoting the health of our citizens and preserving our natural environment,
and protecting the rights and safety of those who travel or do business
overseas;
(5) real spending for International Affairs has declined more than
50 percent since the mid-1980s, at the same time that major new challenges
and opportunities have arisen from the disintegration of the Soviet Union
and the worldwide trends toward democracy and free markets;
(6) current ceilings on discretionary spending will impose severe
additional cuts in funding for International Affairs; and
(7) improved security for United States diplomatic missions and
personnel will place further strain on the International Affairs budget
absent significant additional resources.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that additional budgetary resources should be
identified for function 150 to enable successful United States international
leadership.
SEC. 317. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT
INVEST THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUNDS IN PRIVATE FINANCIAL MARKETS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the assumptions underlying the
functional totals in this resolution assume that the Federal Government should
not directly invest contributions made to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors
Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund
established under section 201 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401) in
private financial markets.
SEC. 318. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING ON-BUDGET SURPLUS.
(a) It is the sense of the Senate that the provisions in this
resolution assume that if the Congressional Budget Office determines there is
an on-budget surplus for fiscal year 2000, $2,000,000,000 of that surplus will
be restored to the programs cut in function 920.
(b) It is the sense of the Senate that the assumptions underlying this
budget resolution assume that none of these offsets will come from defense or
veterans, and to the extent possible should come from administrative
functions.
SEC. 319. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON TEA-21 FUNDING AND THE
STATES.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) on May 22, 1998, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the
conference committee report on H.R. 2400, the Transportation Equity Act for
the 21st Century, in a 88-5 roll call vote;
(2) also on May 22, 1998, the House of Representatives approved the
conference committee report on this bill in a 297-86 recorded
vote;
(3) on June 9, 1998, President Clinton signed this bill into law,
thereby making it Public Law 105-178;
(4) the TEA-21 legislation was a comprehensive reauthorization of
Federal highway and mass transit programs, which authorized approximately
$216,000,000,000 in Federal transportation spending over the next 6 fiscal
years;
(5) section 1105 of this legislation called for any excess Federal
gasoline tax revenues to be provided to the States under the formulas
established by the final version of TEA-21; and
(6) the President's fiscal year 2000 budget request contained a
proposal to distribute approximately $1,000,000,000 in excess Federal
gasoline tax revenues that was not consistent with the provisions of section
1105 of TEA-21 and would deprive States of needed revenues.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and any legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution
assume that the President's fiscal year 2000 budget proposal to change the
manner in which any excess Federal gasoline tax revenues are distributed to
the States will not be implemented, but rather any of these funds will be
distributed to the States pursuant to section 1105 of TEA-21.
SEC. 320. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT AGRICULTURAL RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
SHOULD BENEFIT LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) extremes in weather-related and natural conditions have a
profound impact on the economic viability of producers;
(2) these extremes, such as drought, excessive rain and snow, flood,
wind, insect infestation are certainly beyond the control of livestock
producers;
(3) these extremes do not impact livestock producers within a State,
region or the Nation in the same manner or during the same time frame or for
the same duration of time;
(4) the livestock producers have few effective risk management tools
at their disposal to adequately manage the short and long term impacts of
weather-related or natural disaster situations; and
(5) ad hoc natural disaster assistance programs, while providing
some relief, are not sufficient to meet livestock producers' needs for
rational risk management planning.
(b) SENSE OF SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that any
consideration of reform of Federal crop insurance and risk management programs
should include the needs of livestock producers.
SEC. 321. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE MODERNIZATION AND
IMPROVEMENT OF THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds the following:
(1) The health insurance coverage provided under the medicare
program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et
seq.) is an integral part of the financial security for retired and disabled
individuals, as such coverage protects those individuals against the
financially ruinous costs of a major illness.
(2) Expenditures under the medicare program for hospital, physician,
and other essential health care services that are provided to nearly
39,000,000 retired and disabled individuals will be $232,000,000,000 in
fiscal year 2000.
(3) During the nearly 35 years since the medicare program was
established, the Nation's health care delivery and financing system has
undergone major transformations. However, the medicare program has not kept
pace with such transformations.
(4) Former Congressional Budget Office Director Robert Reischauer
has described the medicare program as it exists today as failing on the
following 4 key dimensions (known as the `Four I's'):
(A) The program is inefficient.
(B) The program is inequitable.
(C) The program is inadequate.
(D) The program is insolvent.
(5) The President's budget framework does not devote 15 percent of
the budget surpluses to the medicare program. The Federal budget process
does not provide a mechanism for setting aside current surpluses for future
obligations. As a result, the notion of saving 15 percent of the surplus for
the medicare program cannot practically be carried out.
(6) The President's budget framework would transfer to the Federal
Hospital Insurance Trust Fund more than $900,000,000,000 over 15 years in
new IOUs that must be redeemed later by raising taxes on American workers,
cutting benefits, or borrowing more from the public, and these new IOUs
would increase the gross debt of the Federal Government by the amounts
transferred.
(7) The Congressional Budget Office has stated that the transfers
described in paragraph (6), which are strictly intragovernmental, have no
effect on the unified budget surpluses or the on-budget surpluses and
therefore have no effect on the debt held by the public.
(8) The President's budget framework does not provide access to, or
financing for, prescription drugs.
(9) The Comptroller General of the United States has stated that the
President's medicare proposal does not constitute reform of the program and
`is likely to create a public misperception that something meaningful is
being done to reform the medicare program'.
(10) The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 enacted changes to the medicare
program which strengthen and extend the solvency of that program.
(11) The Congressional Budget Office has stated that without the
changes made to the medicare program by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the
depletion of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund would now be
imminent.
(12) The President's budget proposes to cut medicare program
spending by $19,400,000,000 over 10 years, primarily through reductions in
payments to providers under that program.
(13) The recommendations by Senator John Breaux and Representative
William Thomas received the bipartisan support of a majority of members on
the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.
(14) The Breaux-Thomas recommendations provide for new prescription
drug coverage for the neediest beneficiaries within a plan that
substantially improves the solvency of the medicare program without
transferring new IOUs to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund that must
be redeemed later by raising taxes, cutting benefits, or borrowing more from
the public.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
provisions contained in this budget resolution assume the following:
(1) This resolution does not adopt the President's proposals to
reduce medicare program spending by $19,400,000,000 over 10 years, nor does
this resolution adopt the President's proposal to spend $10,000,000,000 of
medicare program funds on unrelated programs.
(2) Congress will not transfer to the Federal Hospital Insurance
Trust Fund new IOUs that must be redeemed later by raising taxes on American
workers, cutting benefits, or borrowing more from the public.
(3) Congress should work in a bipartisan fashion to extend the
solvency of the medicare program and to ensure that benefits under that
program will be available to beneficiaries in the future.
(4) The American public will be well and fairly served in this
undertaking if the medicare program reform proposals are considered within a
framework that is based on the following 5 key principles offered in
testimony to the Senate Committee on Finance by the Comptroller General of
the United States:
(5) The recommendations by Senator Breaux and Congressman Thomas
provide for new prescription drug coverage for the neediest beneficiaries
within a plan that substantially improves the solvency of the medicare
program without transferring to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund
new IOUs that must be redeemed later by raising taxes, cutting benefits, or
borrowing more from the public.
(6) Congress should move expeditiously to consider the bipartisan
recommendations of the Chairmen of the National Bipartisan Commission on the
Future of Medicare.
(7) Congress should continue to work with the President as he
develops and presents his plan to fix the problems of the medicare
program.
SEC. 322. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON PROVIDING TAX RELIEF TO ALL AMERICANS
BY RETURNING NON-SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS TO TAXPAYERS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds the following:
(1) Every cent of Social Security surplus should be reserved to pay
Social Security benefits, for Social Security reform, or to pay down the
debt held by the public and not be used for other purposes.
(2) Medicare should be fully funded.
(3) Even after safeguarding Social Security and medicare, a recent
Congressional Research Service study found that an average American family
will pay $5,307 more in taxes over the next 10 years than the Government
needs to operate.
(4) The Administration's budget returns none of the excess surplus
back to the taxpayers and instead increases net taxes and fees by
$96,000,000,000 over 10 years.
(5) The burden of the Administration's tax increases falls
disproportionately on low- and middle-income taxpayers. A recent Tax
Foundation study found that individuals with incomes of less than $25,000
would bear 38.5 percent of the increased tax burden, while taxpayers with
incomes between $25,000 and $50,000 would pay 22.4 percent of the new
taxes.
(6) The budget resolution returns most of the non-Social Security
surplus to those who worked so hard to produce it by providing
$142,000,000,000 in real tax relief over 5 years and almost $800,000,000,000
in tax relief over 10 years.
(7) The budget resolution builds on the following tax relief since
1995:
(A) In 1996, Congress provided, and the President signed, tax
relief for small business and health care-related tax
relief.
(B) In 1997, Congress once again pushed for tax relief in the
context of a balanced budget, and President Clinton signed into law a $500
per child tax credit, expanded individual retirement accounts and the new
Roth IRA, a cut in the capital gains tax rate, education tax relief, and
estate tax relief.
(C) In 1998, Congress pushed for reform of the Internal Revenue
Service, and provided tax relief for America's farmers.
(8) Americans deserve further tax relief because they are still
overpaying. They deserve a refund. Federal taxes currently consume nearly 21
percent of national income, the highest percentage since World War II.
Families are paying more in Federal, State, and local taxes than for food,
clothing, and shelter combined.
(b) SENSE OF SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the levels in this resolution assume that the Senate not only
puts a priority on protecting Social Security and medicare and reducing the
Federal debt, but also on middle-class tax relief by returning some of the
non-Social Security surplus to those from whom it was taken; and
(2) such middle-class tax relief could include broad-based tax
relief, marriage penalty relief, retirement savings incentives, estate tax
relief, savings and investment incentives, health care-related tax relief,
education-related tax relief, and tax simplification proposals.
SEC. 323. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING TAX INCENTIVES FOR EDUCATION
SAVINGS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) families in the United States have accrued more college debt in
the 1990s than during the previous 3 decades combined; and
(2) families should have every resource available to them to meet
the rising cost of higher education.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that additional tax incentives should be provided for education savings,
including--
(1) excluding from gross income distributions from qualified State
tuition plans; and
(2) providing a tax deferral for private prepaid tuition plans in
years 2000 through 2003 and excluding from gross income distributions from
such plans in years 2004 and after.
SEC. 324. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS, FIRST
SESSION SHOULD REAUTHORIZE FUNDS FOR THE FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate makes the following findings--
(1) nineteen States and dozens of localities have spent nearly
$1,000,000,000 to protect over 600,000 acres of important
farmland;
(2) the Farmland Protection Program has provided cost-sharing for 19
States and dozens of localities to protect over 123,000 acres on 432 farms
since 1996;
(3) the Farmland Protection Program has generated new interest in
saving farmland in communities around the country;
(4) the Farmland Protection Program represents an innovative and
voluntary partnership, rewards local ingenuity, and supports local
priorities;
(5) the Farmland Protection Program is a matching grant program that
is completely voluntary in which the Federal Government does not acquire the
land or easement;
(6) funds authorized for the Farmland Protection Program were
expended at the end of fiscal year 1998, and no funds were appropriated in
fiscal year 1999;
(7) the United States is losing two acres of our best farmland to
development every minute of every day;
(8) these lands produce three quarters of the fruits and vegetables
and over one half of the dairy in the United States.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
functional totals contained in this resolution assume that the One Hundred
Sixth Congress, First Session will reauthorize funds for the Farmland
Protection Program.
SEC. 325. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON TAX CUTS FOR LOWER AND MIDDLE INCOME
TAXPAYERS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the levels in this resolution
assume that Congress will not approve an across-the-board cut in income tax
rates, or any other tax legislation, that would provide substantially more
benefits to the top 10 percent of taxpayers than to the remaining 90
percent.
SEC. 326. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING REFORM OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE
CODE OF 1986.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (referred to in this section
as the `tax code') is unnecessarily complex and burdensome, consisting of
2,000 pages of tax code, and resulting in 12,000 pages of regulations and
200,000 pages of court proceedings;
(2) the complexity of the tax code results in taxpayers spending
approximately 5,400,000,000 hours and $200,000,000,000 on tax compliance
each year;
(3) the impact of the complexity of the tax code is inherently
inequitable, rewarding taxpayers which hire professional tax preparers and
penalizing taxpayers which seek to comply with the tax code without
professional assistance;
(4) the percentage of the income of an average family of four that
is paid for taxes has grown significantly, comprising nearly 40 percent of
the family's earnings, a percentage which represents more than a family
spends in the aggregate on food, clothing, and housing;
(5) the total amount of Federal, State, and local tax collections in
1998 increased approximately 5.7 percent over such collections in
1997;
(6) the tax code penalizes saving and investment by imposing tax on
these important activities twice while promoting consumption by only taxing
income used for consumption once;
(7) the tax code stifles economic growth by discouraging work and
capital formation through high tax rates;
(8) Congress and the President have found it necessary on several
occasions to enact laws to protect taxpayers from abusive actions and
procedures of the Internal Revenue Service in enforcement of the tax code;
and
(9) the complexity of the tax code is largely responsible for the
growth in size of the Internal Revenue Service.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that --
(1) the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 needs comprehensive reform;
and
(2) Congress should move expeditiously to consider comprehensive
proposals to reform the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
SEC. 327. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING DAVIS-BACON.
It is the sense of the Senate that in carrying out the assumptions in
this budget resolution, the Senate will consider reform of the Davis-Bacon Act
as an alternative to repeal.
SEC. 328. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING ACCESS TO ITEMS AND SERVICES
UNDER MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds the following:
(1) Total hospital operating margins with respect to items and
services provided to medicare beneficiaries are expected to decline from 4.3
percent in fiscal year 1997 to 0.1 percent in fiscal year 1999.
(2) Total operating margins for small rural hospitals are expected
to decline from 4.2 percent in fiscal year 1998 to negative 5.6 percent in
fiscal year 2002, a 233 percent decline.
(3) The Congressional Budget Office recently has estimated that the
amount of savings to the medicare program in fiscal years 1998 through 2002
by reason of the amendments to that program contained in the Balanced Budget
Act of 1997 is $88,500,000 more than the amount of savings to the program by
reason of those amendments that the Congressional Budget Office estimated
for those fiscal years immediately prior to the enactment of that
Act.
(b) SENSE OF SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the provisions
contained in this budget resolution assume that the Senate should--
(1) consider whether the amendments to the medicare program
contained in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 have had an adverse impact on
access to items and services under that program; and
(2) if it is determined that additional resources are available,
additional budget authority and outlays shall be allocated to address the
unintended consequences of change in medicare program policy made by the
Balanced Budget Act, including inpatient and outpatient hospital services,
to ensure fair and equitable access to all items and services under the
program.
SEC. 329. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING AUTISM.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Infantile autism and autism spectrum disorders are
biologically-based neurodevelopmental diseases that cause severe impairments
in language and communication and generally manifest in young children
sometime during the first two years of life.
(2) Best estimates indicate that 1 in 500 children born today will
be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and that 400,000 Americans
have autism or an autism spectrum disorder.
(3) There is little information on the prevalence of autism and
other pervasive developmental disabilities in the United States. There have
never been any national prevalence studies in the United States, and the two
studies that were conducted in the 1980s examined only selected areas of the
country. Recent studies in Canada, Europe, and Japan suggest that the
prevalence of classic autism alone may be 300 percent to 400 percent higher
than previously estimated.
(4) Three quarters of those with infantile autism spend their adult
lives in institutions or group homes, and usually enter institutions by the
age of 13.
(5) The cost of caring for individuals with autism and autism
spectrum disorder is great, and is estimated to be $13,300,000,000 per year
solely for direct costs.
(6) The rapid advancements in biomedical science suggest that
effective treatments and a cure for autism are attainable if--
(A) there is appropriate coordination of the efforts of the
various agencies of the Federal Government involved in biomedical research
on autism and autism spectrum disorders;
(B) there is an increased understanding of autism and autism
spectrum disorders by the scientific and medical communities involved in
autism research and treatment; and
(C) sufficient funds are allocated to research.
(7) The discovery of effective treatments and a cure for autism will
be greatly enhanced when scientists and epidemiologists have an accurate
understanding of the prevalence and incidence of autism.
(8) Recent research suggests that environmental factors may
contribute to autism. As a result, contributing causes of autism, if
identified, may be preventable.
(9) Finding the answers to the causes of autism and related
developmental disabilities may help researchers to understand other
disorders, ranging from learning problems, to hyperactivity, to
communications deficits that affect millions of Americans.
(10) Specifically, more knowledge is needed concerning--
(A) the underlying causes of autism and autism spectrum disorders,
how to treat the underlying abnormality or abnormalities causing the
severe symptoms of autism, and how to prevent these abnormalities from
occurring in the future;
(B) the epidemiology of, and the identification of risk factors
for, infantile autism and autism spectrum disorders;
(C) the development of methods for early medical diagnosis and
functional assessment of individuals with autism and autism spectrum
disorders, including identification and assessment of the subtypes within
the autism spectrum disorders, for the purpose of monitoring the course of
the disease and developing medically sound strategies for improving the
outcomes of such individuals;
(D) existing biomedical and diagnostic data that are relevant to
autism and autism spectrum disorders for dissemination to medical
personnel, particularly pediatricians, to aid in the early diagnosis and
treatment of this disease; and
(E) the costs incurred in educating and caring for individuals
with autism and autism spectrum disorders.
(11) In 1998, the National Institutes of Health announced a program
of research on autism and autism spectrum disorders. A sufficient level of
funding should be made available for carrying out the program.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
assumptions underlying this resolution assume that additional resources will
be targeted towards autism research through the National Institutes of Health
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SEC. 330. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON WOMEN'S ACCESS TO OBSTETRIC AND
GYNECOLOGICAL SERVICES.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that:
(1) In the One Hundred Fifth Congress, the House of Representatives
acted favorably on The Patient Protection Act (H.R. 4250), which included
provisions which required health plans to allow women direct access to a
participating physician who specializes in obstetrics and gynecological
services.
(2) Women's health historically has received little
attention.
(3) Access to an obstetrician-gynecologist improves the health care
of a woman by providing routine and preventive health care throughout the
women's lifetime, encompassing care of the whole patient, while also
focusing on the female reproductive system.
(4) 60 percent of all office visits to obstetrician-gynecologists
are for preventive care.
(5) Obstetrician-gynecologists are uniquely qualified on the basis
of education and experience to provide basic women's health care
services.
(6) While more than 36 States have acted to promote residents'
access to obstetrician-gynecologists, patients in other States or in
federally-governed health plans are not protected from access restrictions
or limitations.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
provisions in this concurrent resolution on the budget assume that the
Congress shall enact legislation that requires health plans to provide women
with direct access to a participating provider who specializes in obstetrics
and gynecological services.
SEC. 331. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON LIHEAP.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) home energy assistance for working and low-income families with
children, the elderly on fixed incomes, the disabled, and others who need
such aid is a critical part of the social safety net in cold-weather areas
during the winter, and a source of necessary cooling aid during the
summer;
(2) the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a
highly targeted, cost-effective way to help millions of low-income Americans
pay their home energy bills. More than two-thirds of LIHEAP-eligible
households have annual incomes of less than $8,000, approximately one-half
have annual incomes below $6,000; and
(3) LIHEAP funding has been substantially reduced in recent years,
and cannot sustain further spending cuts if the program is to remain a
viable means of meeting the home heating and other energy-related needs of
low-income families, especially those in cold-weather States.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- The assumptions underlying this budget
resolution assume that it is the sense of the Senate that the funds made
available for LIHEAP for fiscal year 2000 will not be less than the current
services for LIHEAP in fiscal year 1999.
SEC. 332. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON TRANSPORTATION FIREWALLS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) domestic firewalls greatly limit funding flexibility as Congress
manages budget priorities in a fiscally constrained budget;
(2) domestic firewalls inhibit congressional oversight of programs
and organizations under such protections;
(3) domestic firewalls mask mandatory spending under the guise of
discretionary spending, thereby presenting a distorted picture of overall
discretionary spending;
(4) domestic firewalls impede the ability of Congress to react to
changing circumstances or to fund other equally important
programs;
(5) the Congress implemented `domestic discretionary budget
firewalls' for approximately 70 percent of function 400 spending in the One
Hundred Fifth Congress;
(6) if the aviation firewall proposal circulating in the House of
Representatives were to be enacted, firewalled spending would exceed 100
percent of total function 400 spending called for under this resolution;
and
(7) if the aviation firewall proposal circulating in the House of
Representatives were to be enacted, drug interdiction activities by the
Coast Guard, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration activities, rail
safety inspections, Federal support for Amtrak, all National Transportation
Safety Board activities, Pipeline and Hazardous materials safety programs,
and Coast Guard search and rescue activities would be drastically cut or
eliminated.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that no additional firewalls should be enacted for
function 400 transportation activities.
SEC. 333. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON FUNDING EXISTING, EFFECTIVE PUBLIC
HEALTH PROGRAMS BEFORE CREATING NEW PROGRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the establishment of new categorical funding programs has led to
proposed cuts in the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant to
States for broad, public health missions;
(2) Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant dollars fill
gaps in the otherwise-categorical funding States and localities receive,
funding such major public health threats as cardiovascular disease,
injuries, emergency medical services and poor diet, for which there is often
no other source of funding;
(3) in 1981, Congress consolidated a number of programs, including
certain public health programs, into block grants for the purpose of best
advancing the health, economics and well-being of communities across the
country;
(4) the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant can be
used for programs for screening, outreach, health education and laboratory
services;
(5) the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant gives
States the flexibility to determine how funding available for this purpose
can be used to meet each State's preventive health priorities;
(6) the establishment of new public health programs that compete for
funding with the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant could
result in the elimination of effective, localized public health programs in
every State.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that there shall be a continuation of the level of funding support for
existing public health programs, specifically the Prevention Block Grant,
prior to the funding of new public health programs.
SEC. 334. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FUNDING FOR SPECIAL
EDUCATION.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1400 et seq.) (referred to in this resolution as the `Act'), Congress found
that improving educational results for children with disabilities is an
essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of
opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic
self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.
(2) In the Act, the Secretary of Education is instructed to make
grants to States to assist them in providing special education and related
services to children with disabilities.
(3) The Act represents a commitment by the Federal Government to
fund 40 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary
and secondary schools in the United States.
(4) The budget submitted by the President for fiscal year 2000
ignores the commitment by the Federal Government under the Act to fund
special education and instead proposes the creation of new programs that
limit the manner in which States may spend the limited Federal education
dollars received.
(5) The budget submitted by the President for fiscal year 2000 fails
to increase funding for special education, and leaves States and localities
with an enormous unfunded mandate to pay for growing special education
costs.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
budgetary levels in this resolution assume that part B of the Individuals with
Disabilities Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) should be fully funded at the
originally promised level before any funds are appropriated for new education
programs.
SEC. 335. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL SECURITY FOR
INDIVIDUALS WHO BECOME DISABLED.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) in addition to providing retirement income, Social Security also
protects individuals from the loss of income due to disability;
(2) according to the most recent report from the Social Security
Board of Trustees nearly 1 in 7 Social Security beneficiaries, 6,000,000
individuals in total, were receiving benefits as a result of
disability;
(3) more than 60 percent of workers have no long-term disability
insurance protection other than that provided by Social Security;
(4) according to statistics from the Society of Actuaries, the odds
of a long-term disability versus death are 2.7 to 1 at age 27, 3.5 to 1 at
age 42, and 2.2 to 1 at age 52; and
(5) in 1998, the average monthly benefit for a disabled worker was
$722.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that levels in
the resolution assume that--
(1) Social Security plays a vital role in providing adequate income
for individuals who become disabled;
(2) individuals who become disabled face circumstances much
different than those who rely on Social Security for retirement
income;
(3) Social Security reform proposals that focus too heavily on
retirement income may adversely affect the income protection provided to
individuals with disabilities; and
(4) Congress and the President should take these factors into
account when considering proposals to reform the Social Security
program.
SEC. 336. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING FUNDING FOR INTENSIVE FIREARMS
PROSECUTION PROGRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that--
(1) gun violence in America, while declining somewhat in recent
years, is still unacceptably high;
(2) keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals can dramatically
reduce gun violence in America;
(3) States and localities often do not have the investigative or
prosecutorial resources to locate and convict individuals who violate their
firearms laws. Even when they do win convictions, States and localities
often lack the jail space to hold such convicts for their full prison
terms;
(4) there are a number of Federal laws on the books which are
designed to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. These laws impose
mandatory minimum sentences upon individuals who use firearms to commit
crimes of violence and convicted felons caught in possession of a
firearm;
(5) the Federal Government does have the resources to investigate
and prosecute violations of these Federal firearms laws. The Federal
Government also has enough jail space to hold individuals for the length of
their mandatory minimum sentences;
(6) an effort to aggressively and consistently apply these Federal
firearms laws in Richmond, Virginia, has cut violent crime in that city.
This program, called Project Exile, has produced 288 indictments during its
first two years of operation and has been credited with contributing to a 15
percent decrease in violent crimes in Richmond during the same period. In
the first three-quarters of 1998, homicides with a firearm in Richmond were
down 55 percent compared to 1997;
(7) the fiscal year 1999 Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Act
provided $1,500,000 to hire additional Federal prosecutors and investigators
to enforce Federal firearms laws in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia
project--called Operation Cease Fire--started on January 1, 1999. Since it
began, the project has resulted in 31 indictments of 52 defendants on
firearms violations. The project has benefited from help from the
Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms which was not paid for out of the $1,500,000 grant;
(8) in 1993, the office of the United States Attorney for the
Western District of New York teamed up with the Monroe County District
Attorney's Office, the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, the Rochester
Police Department, and others to form a Violent Crimes Task Force. In 1997,
the Task Force created an Illegal Firearms Suppression Unit, whose mission
is to use prosecutorial discretion to bring firearms cases in the judicial
forum where penalties for gun violations would be the strictest. The
Suppression Unit has been involved in three major prosecutions of interstate
gun-purchasing activities and currently has 30 to 40 open single-defendant
felony gun cases;
(9) Senator Hatch has introduced legislation to authorize Project
CUFF, a Federal firearms prosecution program;
(10) the Administration has requested $5,000,000 to conduct
intensive firearms prosecution projects on a national level;
(11) given that at least $1,500,000 is needed to run an effective
program in one American city--Philadelphia--$5,000,000 is far from enough
funding to conduct such programs nationally.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that function
750 in the budget resolution assumes that $50,000,000 will be provided in
fiscal year 2000 to conduct intensive firearms prosecution projects to combat
violence in the 25 American cities with the highest crime rates.
SEC. 337. HONEST REPORTING OF THE DEFICIT.
It is the sense of the Senate that the levels in this resolution
assume the following:
(1) IN GENERAL- Effective for fiscal year 2001, the President's
budget and the budget report of CBO required under section 202(e) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the concurrent resolution on the budget
should include--
(A) the receipts and disbursements totals of the on-budget trust
funds, including the projected levels for at least the next 5 fiscal
years; and
(B) the deficit or surplus excluding the on-budget trust funds,
including the projected levels for at least the next 5 fiscal
years.
(2) ITEMIZATION- Effective for fiscal year 2001, the President's
budget and the budget report of CBO required under section 202(e) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 should include an itemization of the
on-budget trust funds for the budget year, including receipts, outlays, and
balances.
SEC. 338. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FOSTERING THE EMPLOYMENT AND
INDEPENDENCE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) Health care is important to all Americans.
(2) Health care is particularly important to individuals with
disabilities and special health care needs who often cannot afford the
insurance available to them through the private market, are uninsurable by
the plans available in the private sector, or are at great risk of incurring
very high and economically devastating health care costs.
(3) Americans with significant disabilities often are unable to
obtain health care insurance that provides coverage of the services and
supports that enable them to live independently and enter or rejoin the
workforce. Coverage for personal assistance services, prescription drugs,
durable medical equipment, and basic health care are powerful and proven
tools for individuals with significant disabilities to obtain and retain
employment.
(4) For individuals with disabilities, the fear of losing health
care and related services is one of the greatest barriers keeping the
individuals from maximizing their employment, earning potential, and
independence.
(5) Individuals with disabilities who are beneficiaries under title
II or XVI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq., 1381 et seq.)
risk losing medicare or medicaid coverage that is linked to their cash
benefits, a risk that is an equal, or greater, work disincentive than the
loss of cash benefits associated with working.
(6) Currently, less than 1/2 of 1 percent of Social Security
disability insurance (SSDI) and supplemental security income (SSI)
beneficiaries cease to receive benefits as a result of
employment.
(7) Beneficiaries have cited the lack of adequate employment
training and placement services as an additional barrier to
employment.
(8) If an additional 1/2 of 1 percent of the current Social Security
disability insurance (SSDI) and supplemental security income (SSI)
recipients were to cease receiving benefits as a result of employment, the
savings to the Social Security Trust Funds in cash assistance would total
$3,500,000,000 over the worklife of the individuals.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
provisions of this resolution assume that the Work Incentives Improvement Act
of 1999 (S. 331, 106th Congress) will be passed by the Senate and enacted
early this year, and thereby provide individuals with disabilities with the
health care and employment preparation and placement services that will enable
those individuals to reduce their dependency on cash benefit programs.
SEC. 339. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING ASSET-BUILDING FOR THE WORKING
POOR.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds the following:
(1) 33 percent of all American households and 60 percent of African
American households have no or negative financial assets.
(2) 46.9 percent of all children in America live in households with
no financial assets, including 40 percent of Caucasian children and 75
percent of African American children.
(3) In order to provide low-income families with more tools for
empowerment, incentives which encourage asset-building should be
established.
(4) Across the Nation, numerous small public, private, and
public-private asset-building incentives, including individual development
accounts, are demonstrating success at empowering low-income
workers.
(5) Middle and upper income Americans currently benefit from tax
incentives for building assets.
(6) The Federal Government should utilize the Federal tax code to
provide low-income Americans with incentives to work and build assets in
order to escape poverty permanently.
(b) SENSE OF SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the provisions
of this resolution assume that Congress should modify the Federal tax law to
include provisions which encourage low-income workers and their families to
save for buying a first home, starting a business, obtaining an education, or
taking other measures to prepare for the future.
SEC. 340. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS RESOLUTION
ASSUME THAT IT IS THE POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES TO PROVIDE AS SOON AS IS
TECHNOLOGICALLY POSSIBLE AN EDUCATION FOR EVERY AMERICAN CHILD THAT WILL ENABLE
EACH CHILD TO EFFECTIVELY MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE TWENTY-FIRST
CENTURY.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) Pell Grants require an increase of $5,000,000,000 per year to
fund the maximum award established in the Higher Education Act Amendments of
1998;
(2) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act needs at least
$13,000,000,000 more per year to fund the Federal commitment to fund 40
percent of the excess costs for special education services;
(3) title I needs at least $4,000,000,000 more per year to serve all
eligible children;
(4) over $11,000,000,000 over the next six years will be required to
hire 100,000 teachers to reduce class size to an average of 18 in grades
1-3;
(5) according to the General Accounting Office, it will cost
$112,000,000,000 just to bring existing school buildings up to good overall
condition. According to GAO, one-third of schools serving 14,000,000
children require extensive repair or replacement of one or more of their
buildings. GAO also found that almost half of all schools lack even the
basic electrical wiring needed to support full-scale use of
computers;
(6) the Federal share of education spending has declined from 11.9
percent in 1980 to 7.6 percent in 1998;
(7) Federal spending for education has declined from 2.5 percent of
all Federal spending in fiscal year 1980 to 2.0 percent in fiscal year
1999.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
provisions of this resolution assume that it is the policy of the United
States to provide as soon as is technologically possible an education for
every American child that will enable each child to effectively meet the
challenges of the twenty-first century.
SEC. 341. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING EXEMPTION OF AGRICULTURAL
COMMODITIES AND PRODUCTS, MEDICINES, AND MEDICAL PRODUCTS FROM UNILATERAL
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) prohibiting or otherwise restricting the donation or sale of
agricultural commodities or products, medicines, or medical products in
order to unilaterally sanction a foreign government for actions or policies
that the United States finds objectionable unnecessarily harms innocent
populations in the targeted country and rarely causes the sanctioned
government to alter its actions or policies;
(2) for the United States as a matter of policy to deny access to
agricultural commodities or products, medicines, or medical products by
innocent men, women, and children in other countries weakens the
international leadership and moral authority of the United States;
and
(3) unilateral sanctions on the sale or donation of agricultural
commodities or products, medicines, or medical products needlessly harm
agricultural producers and workers employed in the agricultural or medical
sectors in the United States by foreclosing markets for the commodities,
products, or medicines.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that the President should--
(1) subject to paragraph (2), exempt agricultural commodities and
products, medicines, and medical products from any unilateral economic
sanction imposed on a foreign government; and
(2) apply the sanction to the commodities, products, or medicines if
the application is necessary--
(A) for health or safety reasons; or
(B) due to a domestic shortage of the commodities, products, or
medicines.
SEC. 342. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING CAPITAL GAINS TAX FAIRNESS FOR
FAMILY FARMERS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) one of the most popular provisions included in the Taxpayer
Relief Act of 1997 permits many families to exclude from Federal income
taxes up to $500,000 of gain from the sale of their principal
residences;
(2) under current law, family farmers are not able to take full
advantage of this $500,000 capital gains exclusion that families living in
urban or suburban areas enjoy on the sale of their homes;
(3) for most urban and suburban residents, their homes are their
major financial asset and as a result such families, who have owned their
homes through many years of appreciation, can often benefit from a large
portion of this new $500,000 capital gains exclusion;
(4) most family farmers plow any profits they make back into the
whole farm rather than into the house which holds little or no
value;
(5) unfortunately, farm families receive little benefit from this
capital gains exclusion because the Internal Revenue Service separates the
value of their homes from the value of the land the homes sit on;
(6) we should recognize in our tax laws the unique character and
role of our farm families and their important contributions to our economy,
and allow them to benefit more fully from the capital gains tax exclusion
that urban and suburban homeowners already enjoy; and
(7) we should expand the $500,000 capital gains tax exclusion to
cover sales of the farmhouse and the surrounding farmland over their
lifetimes.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that if we pass tax relief measures in accordance
with the assumptions in the budget resolution, we should ensure that such
legislation removes the disparity between farm families and their urban and
suburban counterparts with respect to the new $500,000 capital gains tax
exclusion for principal residence sales by expanding it to cover gains from
the sale of farmland along with the sale of the farmhouse.
SEC. 343. BUDGETING FOR THE DEFENSE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
PROGRAM.
It is the sense of the Senate that the budgetary levels for National
Defense (function 050) for fiscal years 2000 through 2008 assume funding for
the Defense Science and Technology Program that is consistent with section 214
of the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999,
which expresses a sense of the Congress that for each of those fiscal years it
should be an objective of the Secretary of Defense to increase the budget
request for the Defense Science and Technology Program by at least 2 percent
over inflation.
SEC. 344. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FUNDING FOR THE URBAN PARKS AND
RECREATION RECOVERY (UPARR) PROGRAM.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) every analysis of national recreation issues in the last 3
decades has identified the importance of close-to-home recreation
opportunities, particularly for residents in densely-populated urban
areas;
(2) the Land and Water Conservation Fund grants program under the
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-4 et seq.) was
established partly to address the pressing needs of urban areas;
(3) the National Urban Recreation Study of 1978 and the President's
Commission on Americans Outdoors of 1987 revealed that critical urban
recreation resources were not being addressed;
(4) older city park structures and infrastructures worth billions of
dollars are at risk because government incentives favored the development of
new areas over the revitalization of existing resources, ranging from
downtown parks established in the 19th century to neighborhood playgrounds
and sports centers built from the 1920's to the 1950's;
(5) the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery (UPARR) program,
established under the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2501 et seq.), authorized $725,000,000 to provide matching grants and
technical assistance to economically distressed urban
communities;
(6) the purposes of the UPARR program is to provide direct Federal
assistance to urban localities for rehabilitation of critically needed
recreation facilities, and to encourage local planning and a commitment to
continuing operation and maintenance of recreation programs, sites, and
facilities; and
(7) funding for UPARR is supported by a wide range of organizations,
including the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues, the Sporting
Goods Manufacturers Association, the Conference of Mayors, and Major League
Baseball.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that Congress considers the UPARR program to be a high priority, and should
appropriate such amounts as are necessary to carry out the Urban Parks and
Recreation Recovery (UPARR) program established under the Urban Park and
Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.).
SEC. 345. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON SOCIAL PROMOTION.
It is the sense of the Senate that the assumptions underlying the
functional totals in this resolution assume that funds will be provided for
legislation--
(1) to provide remedial educational and other instructional
interventions to assist public elementary and secondary school students in
meeting achievement levels; and
(2) to terminate practices which advance students from one grade to
the next who do not meet State achievement standards in the core academic
curriculum.
SEC. 346. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON WOMEN AND SOCIAL SECURITY
REFORM.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) without Social Security benefits, the elderly poverty rate among
women would have been 52.2 percent, and among widows would have been 60.6
percent;
(2) women tend to live longer and tend to have lower lifetime
earnings than men do;
(3) during their working years, women earn an average of 70 cents
for every dollar men earn; and
(4) women spend an average of 11.5 years out of their careers to
care for their families, and are more likely to work part-time than
full-time.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that--
(1) women face unique obstacles in ensuring retirement security and
survivor and disability stability;
(2) Social Security plays an essential role in guaranteeing
inflation-protected financial stability for women throughout their old
age;
(3) the Congress and the Administration should act, as part of
Social Security reform, to ensure that widows and other poor elderly women
receive more adequate benefits that reduce their poverty rates and that
women, under whatever approach is taken to reform Social Security, should
receive no lesser a share of overall federally-funded retirement benefits
than they receive today; and
(4) the sacrifice that women make to care for their family should be
recognized during reform of Social Security and that women should not be
penalized by taking an average of 11.5 years out of their careers to care
for their family.
SEC. 347. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING SOUTH KOREA'S INTERNATIONAL
TRADE PRACTICES ON PORK AND BEEF.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that--
(1) Asia is the largest regional export market for America's farmers
and ranchers, traditionally purchasing approximately 40 percent of all
United States agricultural exports;
(2) the Department of Agriculture forecasts that over the next year
American agricultural exports to Asian countries will decline by several
billion dollars due to the Asian financial crisis;
(3) the United States is the producer of the safest agricultural
products from farm to table, customizing goods to meet the needs of
customers worldwide, and has established the image and reputation as the
world's best provider of agricultural products;
(4) American farmers and ranchers, and more specifically, American
pork and beef producers, are dependent on secure, open, and competitive
Asian export markets for their product;
(5) United States pork and beef producers not only have faced the
adverse effects of depreciated and unstable currencies and lowered demand
due to the Asian financial crisis, but also have been confronted with South
Korea's pork subsidies and its failure to keep commitments on market access
for beef;
(6) it is the policy of the United States to prohibit South Korea
from using United States and International Monetary Fund assistance to
subsidize targeted industries and compete unfairly for market share against
United States products;
(7) the South Korean Government has been subsidizing its pork
exports to Japan, resulting in a 973 percent increase in its exports to
Japan since 1992, and a 71 percent increase in the last year;
(8) pork already comprises 70 percent of South Korea's agriculture
exports to Japan, yet the South Korean Government has announced plans to
invest 100,000,000,000 won in its agricultural sector in order to flood the
Japanese market with even more South Korean pork;
(9) the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
reportedly has earmarked 25,000,000,000 won for loans to Korea's pork
processors in order for them to purchase more Korean pork and to increase
exports to Japan;
(10) any export subsidies on pork, including those on exports from
South Korea to Japan, would violate South Korea's international trade
agreements and may be actionable under the World Trade
Organization;
(11) South Korea's subsidies are hindering United States pork and
beef producers from capturing their full potential in the Japanese market,
which is the largest export market for United States pork and beef,
importing nearly $700,000,000 of United States pork and over $1,500,000,000
of United States beef last year alone;
(12) under the United States-Korea 1993 Record of Understanding on
Market Access for Beef, which was negotiated pursuant to a 1989 GATT Panel
decision against Korea, South Korea was allowed to delay full liberalization
of its beef market (in an exception to WTO rules) if it would agree to
import increasing minimum quantities of beef each year until the year
2001;
(13) South Korea fell woefully short of its beef market access
commitment for 1998; and
(14) United States pork and beef producers are not able to compete
fairly with Korean livestock producers, who have a high cost of production,
because South Korea has violated trade agreements and implemented
protectionist policies.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS- It is the sense of the Congress that the
Congress--
(1) believes strongly that while a stable global marketplace is in
the best interest of America's farmers and ranchers, the United States
should seek a mutually beneficial relationship without hindering the
competitiveness of American agriculture;
(2) calls on South Korea to abide by its trade
commitments;
(3) calls on the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the United
States Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund to promote
vigorously policies that encourage the opening of markets for beef and pork
products by requiring South Korea to abide by its existing international
trade commitments and to reduce trade barriers, tariffs, and export
subsidies;
(4) calls on the President and the Secretaries of Treasury and
Agriculture to monitor and report to Congress that resources will not be
used to stabilize the South Korean market at the expense of United States
agricultural goods or services; and
(5) requests the United States Trade Representative and the United
States Department of Agriculture to pursue the settlement of disputes with
the Government of South Korea on its failure to abide by its international
trade commitments on beef market access, to consider whether Korea's
reported plans for subsidizing its pork industry would violate any of its
international trade commitments, and to determine what impact Korea's
subsidy plans would have on United States agricultural interests, especially
in Japan.
SEC. 348. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING SUPPORT FOR STATE AND LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) as national crime rates are beginning to fall as a result of
State and local efforts, with Federal support, it is important for the
Federal Government to continue its support for State and local law
enforcement;
(2) Federal support is crucial to the provision of critical crime
fighting programs;
(3) Federal support is also essential to the provision of critical
crime fighting services and the effective administration of justice in the
States, such as State and local crime laboratories and medical examiners'
offices;
(4) current needs exceed the capacity of State and local crime
laboratories to process their forensic examinations, resulting in tremendous
backlogs that prevent the swift administration of justice and impede
fundamental individual rights, such as the right to a speedy trial and to
exculpatory evidence;
(5) last year, Congress passed the Crime Identification Technology
Act of 1998, which authorizes $250,000,000 each year for 5 years to assist
State and local law enforcement agencies in developing and integrating their
anticrime technology systems, and in upgrading their forensic laboratories
and information and communications infrastructures upon which these crime
fighting systems rely; and
(6) the Federal Government must continue efforts to significantly
reduce crime by maintaining Federal funding for State and local law
enforcement, and wisely targeting these resources.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
provisions of this resolution assume that--
(1) the amounts made available for fiscal year 2000 to assist State
and local law enforcement efforts should be comparable to or greater than
amounts made available for that purpose for fiscal year 1999;
(2) the amounts made available for fiscal year 2000 for crime
technology programs should be used to further the purposes of the program
under section 102 of the Crime Identification Technology Act of 1998 (42
U.S.C. 14601); and
(3) Congress should consider legislation that specifically addresses
the backlogs in State and local crime laboratories and medical examiners'
offices.
SEC. 349. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON MERGER ENFORCEMENT BY DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that--
(1) the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice is charged
with the civil and criminal enforcement of the antitrust laws, including
review of corporate mergers likely to reduce competition in particular
markets, with a goal to promote and protect the competitive
process;
(2) the Antitrust Division requests a 16 percent increase in funding
for fiscal year 2000;
(3) justification for such an increase is based, in part, on
increasingly numerous and complex merger filings pursuant to the
Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976;
(4) the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 sets
value thresholds which trigger the requirement for filing premerger
notification;
(5) the number of merger filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino
Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, which the Department, in conjunction
with the Federal Trade Commission, is required to review, increased by 38
percent in fiscal year 1998;
(6) the Department expects the number of merger filings to increase
in fiscal years 1999 and 2000;
(7) the value thresholds, which relate to both the size of the
companies involved and the size of the transaction, under the
Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 have not been adjusted
since passage of that Act.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
Antitrust Division needs adequate resources and that the levels in this
resolution assume the Division will have such adequate resources, including
necessary increases in funding, notwithstanding any report language to the
contrary, to enable it to meet its statutory requirements, including those
related to reviewing and investigating increasingly numerous and complex
mergers, but that Congress should pursue consideration of modest, budget
neutral, adjustments to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of
1976 to account for inflation in the value thresholds of the Act, and in so
doing, ensure that the Antitrust Division's resources are focused on matters
and transactions most deserving of the Division's attention.
SEC. 350. SENSE OF THE SENATE TO CREATE A TASK FORCE TO PURSUE THE
CREATION OF A NATURAL DISASTER RESERVE FUND.
(a) It is the sense of the Senate that a task force be created for the
purpose of studying the possibility of creating a reserve fund for natural
disasters. The task force should be composed of three Senators appointed by
the Majority Leader, and two Senators appointed by the Minority Leader. The
task force should also be composed of three members appointed by the Speaker
of the House, and two members appointed by the Minority Leader in the
House.
(b) It is the sense of the Senate that the task force make a report to
the appropriate committees in Congress within 90 days of being convened. The
report should be available for the purposes of consideration during
comprehensive overhaul of budget procedures.
SEC. 351. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FEDERAL TAX RELIEF.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) The Congressional Budget Office has reported that payroll taxes
will exceed income taxes for 74 percent of all taxpayers in 1999.
(2) The Federal Government will collect nearly $50,000,000,000 in
income taxes this year through its practice of taxing the income Americans
sacrifice to the Government in the form of Social Security payroll
taxes.
(3) American taxpayers are currently shouldering the heaviest tax
burden since 1944.
(4) According to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, the median
dual-income family sacrificed a record 37.6 percent of its income to the
Government in 1997.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
assumptions underlying the functional totals in this resolution assume that a
significant portion of the tax relief will be devoted to working families who
are double-taxed by--
(1) providing taxpayers with an above-the-line income tax deduction
for the Social Security payroll taxes they pay so that they no longer pay
income taxes on such payroll taxes, and/or
(2) gradually reducing the lowest marginal income tax rate from 15
percent to 10 percent, and/or
(3) other tax reductions that do not reduce the tax revenue devoted
to the Social Security Trust Fund.
SEC. 352. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON ELIMINATING THE MARRIAGE PENALTY AND
ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCOME TAX RATE CUTS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the institution of marriage is the cornerstone of the family and
civil society;
(2) strengthening of the marriage commitment and the family is an
indispensable step in the renewal of America's culture;
(3) the Federal income tax punishes marriage by imposing a greater
tax burden on married couples then on their single counterparts;
(4) America's tax code should give each married couple the choice to
be treated as one economic unit, regardless of which spouse earns the
income; and
(5) all American taxpayers are responsible for any budget surplus
and deserve broad-based tax relief after the Social Security Trust Fund has
been protected.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that Congress should eliminate the marriage penalty
in a manner that treats all married couples equally, regardless of which
spouse earns the income.
SEC. 353. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON IMPORTANCE OF FUNDING FOR EMBASSY
SECURITY.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) Enhancing security at United States diplomatic missions overseas
is essential to protect United States Government personnel serving on the
front lines of our national defense;
(2) 80 percent of United States diplomatic missions do not meet
current security standards;
(3) the Accountability Review Boards on the Embassy Bombings in
Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam recommended that the Department of State spend
$1,400,000,000 annually on embassy security over each of the next 10
years;
(4) the amount of spending recommended for embassy security by the
Accountability Review Boards is approximately 36 percent of the operating
budget requested for the Department of State in fiscal year 2000;
and
(5) the funding requirements necessary to improve security for
United States diplomatic missions and personnel abroad cannot be borne
within the current budgetary resources of the Department of
State.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
budgetary levels in this budget resolution assume that as the Congress
contemplates changes in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to reflect
projected on-budget surpluses, provisions similar to those set forth in
section 314(b) of that Act should be considered to ensure adequate funding for
enhancements to the security of United States diplomatic missions.
SEC. 354. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON FUNDING FOR AFTER SCHOOL
EDUCATION.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds the following:
(1) The demand for after school education is very high. In fiscal
year 1998 the Department of Education's after school grant program was the
most competitive in the Department's history. Nearly 2,000 school districts
applied for over $540,000,000.
(2) After school programs help to fight juvenile crime. Law
enforcement statistics show that youth who are ages 12 through 17 are most
at risk of committing violent acts and being victims of violent acts between
3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. After school programs have been shown to reduce
juvenile crime, sometimes by up to 75 percent according to the National
Association of Police Athletic and Activity Leagues.
(3) After school programs can improve educational achievement. They
ensure children have safe and positive learning environments in the after
school hours. In the Sacramento START after school program 75 percent of the
students showed an increase in their grades.
(4) After school programs have widespread support. Over 90 percent
of the American people support such programs. Over 450 of the Nation's
leading police chiefs, sheriffs, and prosecutors, along with presidents of
the Fraternal Order of Police, and the International Union of Police
Associations support government funding of after school programs. And many
of our Nation's governors endorse increasing the number of after school
programs through a Federal of State partnership.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution assume that Congress will provide $600,000,000 for the
President's after school initiative in fiscal year 2000.
SEC. 355. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING RECOVERY OF FUNDS BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN TOBACCO-RELATED LITIGATION.
(a) SHORT TITLE- This section may be cited as the `Federal Tobacco
Recovery and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Resolution of 1999'.
(b) FINDINGS- The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) The President, in his January 19, 1999 State of the Union
address--
(A) announced that the Department of Justice would develop a
litigation plan for the Federal Government against the tobacco
industry;
(B) indicated that any funds recovered through such litigation
would be used to strengthen the medicare program under title XVIII of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.); and
(C) urged Congress to pass legislation to include a prescription
drug benefit in the medicare program.
(2) The traditional medicare program does not include most
outpatient prescription drugs as part of its benefit package.
(3) Prescription drugs are a central element in improving quality of
life and in routine health maintenance.
(4) Prescription drugs are a key component to early health care
intervention strategies for the elderly.
(5) Eighty percent of retired individuals take at least 1
prescription drug every day.
(6) Individuals 65 years of age or older represent 12 percent of the
population of the United States but consume more than 1/3 of all
prescription drugs consumed in the United States.
(7) Exclusive of health care-related premiums, prescription drugs
account for almost 1/3 of the health care costs and expenditures of elderly
individuals.
(8) Approximately 10 percent of all medicare beneficiaries account
for nearly 50 percent of all prescription drug spending by the
elderly.
(9) Research and development on new generations of pharmaceuticals
represent new opportunities for healthier, longer lives for our Nation's
elderly.
(10) Prescription drugs are among the key tools in every health care
professional's medical arsenal to help combat and prevent the onset,
recurrence, or debilitating effects of illness and disease.
(11) While possible Federal litigation against tobacco companies
will take time to develop, Congress should continue to work to address the
immediate need among the elderly for access to affordable prescription
drugs.
(12) Treatment of tobacco-related illness is estimated to cost the
medicare program approximately $10,000,000,000 every year.
(13) In 1998, 50 States reached a settlement with the tobacco
industry for tobacco-related illness in the amount of
$206,000,000,000.
(14) Recoveries from possible Federal tobacco-related litigation, if
successful, will likely be comparable to or exceed the dollar amount
recovered by the States under the 1998 settlement.
(15) In the event Federal tobacco-related litigation is valid,
undertaken and is successful, funds recovered under such litigation should
first be used for the purpose of strengthening the Federal Hospital
Insurance Trust Fund and second to finance a medicare prescription drug
benefit.
(16) The scope of any medicare prescription drug benefit should be
as comprehensive as possible, with drugs used in fighting tobacco-related
illnesses given a first priority.
(17) Most Americans want the medicare program to cover the costs of
prescription drugs.
(c) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
assumptions underlying the functional totals in this resolution assume that
funds recovered under any tobacco-related litigation commenced by the Federal
Government should be used first for the purpose of strengthening the Federal
Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and second to fund a medicare prescription drug
benefit.
SEC. 356. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON OFFSETTING INAPPROPRIATE EMERGENCY
SPENDING.
It is the sense of the Senate that the levels in this resolution
assume that--
(1) some emergency expenditures made at the end of the One Hundred
Fifth Congress for fiscal year 1999 were inappropriately deemed as
emergencies;
(2) Congress and the President should identify these inappropriate
expenditures and fully pay for these expenditures during the fiscal year in
which they will be incurred; and
(3) Congress should only apply the emergency designation for
occurrences that meet the criteria set forth in the Congressional Budget
Act.
SEC. 357. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR
2000 BUDGET PROPOSAL TO TAX ASSOCIATION INVESTMENT INCOME.
(a) The Congress finds that:
(1) The President's fiscal year 2000 Federal budget proposal to
impose a tax on the interest, dividends, capital gains, rents, and royalties
in excess of $10,000 of trade associations and professional societies exempt
under section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 represents an
unjust and unnecessary penalty on legitimate association
activities.
(2) At a time when the Government is projecting on-budget surpluses
of more than $800,000,000,000 over the next 10 years, the President proposes
to increase the tax burden on trade and professional associations by
$1,440,000,000 over the next 5 years.
(3) The President's association tax increase proposal will impose a
tremendous burden on thousands of small and mid-sized trade associations and
professional societies.
(4) Under the President's association tax increase proposal, most
associations with annual operating budgets of as low as $200,000 or more
will be taxed on investment income and as many as 70,000 associations
nationwide could be affected by this proposal.
(5) Associations rely on this targeted investment income to carry
out tax-exempt status related activities, such as training individuals to
adapt to the changing workplace, improving industry safety, providing
statistical data, and providing community services.
(6) Keeping investment income free from tax encourages associations
to maintain modest surplus funds that cushion against economic and fiscal
downturns.
(7) Corporations can increase prices to cover increased costs, while
small and medium sized local, regional, and State-based associations do not
have such an option, and thus increased costs imposed by the President's
association tax increase would reduce resources available for the important
standard setting, educational training, and professionalism training
performed by associations.
(b) It is the sense of Congress that the functional totals in this
concurrent resolution on the budget assume that Congress shall reject the
President's proposed tax increase on investment income of associations as
defined under section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
SEC. 358. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING FUNDING FOR COUNTER-NARCOTICS
INITIATIVES.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) from 1985-1992, the Federal Government's drug control budget was
balanced among education, treatment, law enforcement, and international
supply reduction activities and this resulted in a 13-percent reduction in
total drug use from 1988 to 1991;
(2) since 1992, overall drug use among teens aged 12 to 17 rose by
70 percent, cocaine and marijuana use by high school seniors rose 80
percent, and heroin use by high school seniors rose 100 percent;
(3) during this same period, the Federal investment in reducing the
flow of drugs outside our borders declined both in real dollars and as a
proportion of the Federal drug control budget;
(4) while the Federal Government works with State and local
governments and numerous private organizations to reduce the demand for
illegal drugs, seize drugs, and break down drug trafficking organizations
within our borders, only the Federal Government can seize and destroy drugs
outside of our borders;
(5) in an effort to restore Federal international eradication and
interdiction efforts, in 1998, Congress passed the Western Hemisphere Drug
Elimination Act which authorized an additional $2,600,000,000 over 3 years
for international interdiction, eradication, and alternative development
activities;
(6) Congress appropriated over $800,000,000 in fiscal year 1999 for
anti-drug activities authorized in the Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination
Act; and
(7) the proposed Drug Free Century Act would build upon many of the
initiatives authorized in the Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act,
including additional funding for the Department of Defense for counter-drug
intelligence and related activities.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
provisions of this resolution assume that--
(1) funding for Federal drug control activities should be at a level
higher than that proposed in the President's budget request for fiscal year
2000; and
(2) funding for Federal drug control activities should allow for
investments in programs authorized in the Western Hemisphere Drug
Elimination Act and in the proposed Drug Free Century Act.
SEC. 359. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON MODERNIZING AMERICA'S
SCHOOLS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds the following:
(1) The General Accounting Office has performed a comprehensive
survey of the Nation's public elementary and secondary school facilities and
has found severe levels of disrepair in all areas of the United
States.
(2) The General Accounting Office has concluded that more than
14,000,000 children attend schools in need of extensive repair or
replacement; 7,000,000 children attend schools with life safety code
violations; and 12,000,000 children attend schools with leaky
roofs.
(3) The General Accounting Office has found that the problem of
crumbling schools transcends demographic and geographic boundaries. At 38
percent of urban schools, 30 percent of rural schools, and 29 percent of
suburban schools, at least 1 building is in need of extensive repair or
should be completely replaced.
(4) The condition of school facilities has a direct effect on the
safety of students and teachers and on the ability of students to learn.
Academic research has provided a direct correlation between the condition of
school facilities and student achievement. At Georgetown University,
researchers have found the test scores of students assigned to schools in
poor condition can be expected to fall 10.9 percentage points below the test
scores of students in buildings in excellent condition. Similar studies have
demonstrated up to a 20 percent improvement in test scores when students
were moved from a poor facility to a new facility.
(5) The General Accounting Office has found most schools are not
prepared to incorporate modern technology in the classroom. 46 percent of
schools lack adequate electrical wiring to support the full-scale use of
technology. More than a third of schools lack the requisite electrical
power. 56 percent of schools have insufficient phone lines for
modems.
(6) The Department of Education has reported that elementary and
secondary school enrollment, already at a record high level, will continue
to grow over the next 10 years, and that in order to accommodate this
growth, the United States will need to build an additional 6,000
schools.
(7) The General Accounting Office has determined that the cost of
bringing schools up to good, overall condition to be $112,000,000,000, not
including the cost of modernizing schools to accommodate technology, or the
cost of building additional facilities needed to meet record enrollment
levels.
(8) Schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for Native
American children are also in dire need of repair and renovation. The
General Accounting Office has reported that the cost of total inventory
repairs needed for BIA facilities is $754,000,000. The December 1997 report
by the Comptroller General of the United States states that, `Compared with
other schools nationally, BIA schools are generally in poorer physical
condition, have more unsatisfactory environmental factors, more often lack
key facilities requirements for education reform, and are less able to
support computer and communications technology.
(9) State and local financing mechanisms have proven inadequate to
meet the challenges facing today's aging school facilities. Large numbers of
local educational agencies have difficulties securing financing for school
facility improvement.
(10) The Federal Government has provided resources for school
construction in the past. For example, between 1933 and 1939, the Federal
Government assisted in 70 percent of all new school construction.
(11) The Federal Government can support elementary and secondary
school facilities without interfering in issues of local control, and should
help communities leverage additional funds for the improvement of elementary
and secondary school facilities.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
budgetary levels in this budget resolution assume that Congress will enact
measures to assist school districts in modernizing their facilities,
including--
(1) legislation to allow States and school districts to issue at
least $24,800,000,000 worth of zero-interest bonds to rebuild and modernize
our Nation's schools, and to provide Federal income tax credits to the
purchasers of those bonds in lieu of interest payments; and
(2) appropriate funding for the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994
during the period 2000 through 2004, which would provide grants to local
school districts for the repair, renovation and construction of public
school facilities.
SEC. 360. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FUNDING FOR THE LAND AND WATER
CONSERVATION FUND.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) amounts in the land and water conservation fund finance the
primary Federal program for acquiring land for conservation and recreation
and for supporting State and local efforts for conservation and
recreation;
(2) Congress has appropriated only $10,000,000,000 out of the more
than $21,000,000,000 covered into the fund from revenues payable to the
United States under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et
seq.); and
(3) 38 Senators cosigned 2 letters to the Chairman and Ranking
Member of the Committee on the Budget urging that the land and water
conservation fund be fully funded.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the levels
in this resolution and legislation enacted pursuant to this resolution assume
that Congress should appropriate $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 to provide
financial assistance to the States under section 6 of the Land and Water
Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C 460l-8), in addition to such amounts
as are made available for Federal land acquisition under that Act for fiscal
year 2000.
SEC. 361. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL, STATE AND
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FOR THE VIOLENT CRIME REDUCTION TRUST FUND.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) our Federal, State and local law enforcement officers provide
essential services that preserve and protect our freedom and safety, and
with the support of Federal assistance such as the Local Law Enforcement
Block Grant Program, the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant
Program, the COPS Program, and the Byrne Grant Program, State and local law
enforcement officers have succeeded in reducing the national scourge of
violent crime, illustrated by a violent crime rate that has dropped in each
of the past four years;
(2) assistance, such as the Violent Offender Incarceration/Truth in
Sentencing Incentive Grants, provided to State corrections systems to
encourage truth in sentencing laws for violent offenders has resulted in
longer time served by violent criminals and safer streets for law abiding
people across the Nation;
(3) through a comprehensive effort by State and local law
enforcement to attack violence against women, in concert with the efforts of
dedicated volunteers and professionals who provide victim services, shelter,
counseling and advocacy to battered women and their children, important
strides have been made against the national scourge of violence against
women;
(4) despite recent gains, the violent crime rate remains high by
historical standards;
(5) Federal efforts to investigate and prosecute international
terrorism and complex interstate and international crime are vital aspects
of a national anticrime strategy, and should be maintained;
(6) the recent gains by Federal, State and local law enforcement in
the fight against violent crime and violence against women are fragile, and
continued financial commitment from the Federal Government for funding and
financial assistance is required to sustain and build upon these gains;
and
(7) the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund, enacted as a part of the
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, funds the Violent
Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the Violence against Women
Act of 1994, and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996,
without adding to the Federal budget deficit.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
provisions and the functional totals underlying this resolution assume that
the Federal Government's commitment to fund Federal law enforcement programs
and programs to assist State and local efforts to combat violent crime shall
be maintained, and that funding for the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund
shall continue to at least fiscal year 2005.
SEC. 362. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING SOCIAL SECURITY NOTCH
BABIES.
(a) FINDINGS- The Senate finds that--
(1) the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public Law 95-216)
substantially altered the way Social Security benefits are
computed;
(2) those amendments resulted in disparate benefits depending upon
the year in which a worker becomes eligible for benefits; and
(3) those individuals born between the years 1917 and 1926, and who
are commonly referred to as `notch babies' receive benefits that are lower
than those retirees who were born before or after those years.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE- It is the sense of the Senate that the
Congress should reevaluate the benefits of workers who attain age 65 after
1981 and before 1992.
Attest:
Secretary.
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 68
AMENDMENT
END