NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #20/NN_1992_20.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/6546

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From: [e-mail] (Rich Winkel)
Subject: SANE/FREEZE LEGISLATIVE REPORT September 15, 1992
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/** sf.lobby: 107.0 **/
** Topic: S/F Lobby Report 9-15-92 **
** Written  2:38 pm  Sep 14, 1992 by sfnatldc in cdp:sf.lobby **
SANE/FREEZE:CGS WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
For The Week Of September 15, 1992

     The Weekly Legislative Report is updated on the second
business day of each week by the SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global
Security legislative office (while Congress is session). This
report is based on the political objectives adopted by the 1991
SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security National Congress. A
short version of this report is available each week on the
SANE/FREEZE Legislative Hotline. The number: [phone].

     Please help us by reporting your lobbying activities to Burt
Glass at [phone], by fax at [phone], by PeaceNet
mail message to "sfnatldc," or by written report (form available
from our legislative office) to SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global
Security, attn.: Burt Glass, 1819 H Street, NW, Suite 640,
Washington, D.C., 20006-3603.

A SAD NOTE: WEISS PASSES AWAY

     Long-time peace and economic conversion advocate Rep. Ted
Weiss (D-NY) suffered a heart attack and died early this morning.

     Weiss served on the advisory board of SANE/FREEZE's local
chapter in New York City. He championed comprehensive conversion
legislation year after year, finally seeing much of his work
incorporated in the House conversion package approved earlier
this year.

     His voice for sanity and justice in the world will be sorely
missed in Congress.

TOP PRIORITY: HARKIN'S TRANSFER AMENDMENT

     Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) is preparing an amendment to the
fiscal year 1993 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
Appropriations bill that would transfer $3.85 billion from
unobligated military accounts to a variety of domestic programs
targeted at children's needs.

     The amendment, which Harkin is expected to offer on the
floor to the full Senate in mid-September, would require 60 votes
for approval because it violates the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act,
which forbids the transfer of funds between discretionary
accounts such as defense and domestic needs. The barrier is
scheduled to be removed for fiscal 1994.

     The $3.85 billion would be spent on such programs a Head
Start ($600 million), child abuse/family violence prevention
($100 million), AIDS research ($100 million) and education ($1.35
billion). This amendment may be the last chance for the Senate to
cast a clear vote for new federal budget priorities this year.

     THE SKINNY: An article in Monday's Congressional Quarterly
reported that Harkin's proposal has "surprising Republican
support this time." Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has said he may
offer his own amendment which transfer about half of what Harkin
wants from the military to boost up educational programs.

     ACTION: Call your Senators today and urge them to support
the Harkin Transfer Amendment for New Priorities to the FY 93
Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations bill.

SECOND PRIORITY: "STAR WARS" AND THE SENATE DEFENSE BILL

     In a surprise vote just before the August recess, the Senate
rejected, 49-43, a motion to table an amendment to the Defense
Authorization bill to cut $1 billion from a committee request of
$4.3 billion for the "Star Wars" Strategic Defense Initiative.
The vote appeared to clear the way for approval of the amendment,
offered by Sens. Jim Sasser (D-TN) and Dale Bumpers (D-AR).

     But unnerved Republicans, led by Sens. Malcolm Wallop (R-WY)
and Jim Warner (R-VA), blocked a vote on the amendment by
refusing a request for "unanimous consent" which permits the
Senate to bring items up for debate and votes. The logjam pushed
consideration of the entire Defense Authorization bill back until
next week.

     The following Senators voted against tabling the Sasser-
Bumpers amendment (the SANE/FREEZE position):

     Adams, Akaka, Baucus, Biden, Boren, Bradley, Breaux, Bryan,
Bumpers, Byrd, Chafee, Conrad, Cranston, Daschle, DeConcini,
Dodd, Ford, Fowler, Glenn, Graham, Grassley, Harkin, Hatfield,
Jeffords, Johnston, Kassebaum, Kennedy, Kerrey, Kerry, Kohl,
Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Lieberman, Metzenbaum, Mikulski,
Mitchell, Moynihan, Pell, Pryor, Reid, Riegle, Robb, Rockefeller,
Sanford, Sarbanes, Sasser, Simon, Wofford.

     Absent: Burdick, Garn, Gore, Hatch, Helms, Kasten,
Wellstone, Wirth.

     Senate Armed Services Committee chair Sam Nunn (D-GA)
opposed the Sasser-Bumpers SDI cut, but was clearly exasperated
by the actions of Wallop and other pro-SDI Senators. Nunn,
Wallop, Sasser, Bumpers and Jim Warner (R-VA) are said to be
negotiating this week over the issue.

     ACTION: Urge your Senators to support the Sasser-Bumpers
amendment to the Defense Authorization bill to trim SDI funding
by $1 billion. Focus especially on Senators who voted against the
amendment's tabling prior to the recess, such as Senators Akaka,
Dodd, Fowler, Graham (FL), Grassley, Kassebaum and Robb.

UPDATE: NUCLEAR TESTING MORATORIUM

     Sen. William Cohen (R-ME) may still offer on the Senate
floor next week his amendment to the Defense Authorization bill
to permit more nuclear weapons tests than called for in the
Energy and Water Appropriations bill. The Senate voted, 68-26, on
August 3 in favor of an amendment to that appropriations bill
calling for a nine-month moratorium on nuclear weapons tests and
a permanent end to all tests by 1996.

     Cohen's amendment would only halt nuclear tests until the
President certified that negotiations had begun with Russia to
end tests. The Department of Energy could conduct up to 20 tests
for "safety and reliability" through 1998 - not 15 through 1996 -
and then could continue if the President certified that further
tests were required. Congress could stop the additional tests if
they passed a "Resolution of Disapproval," which may require a
two-thirds majority.

     The following Senators voted AGAINST the Hatfield-Mitchell-
Exon amendment in August: Brown, Bryan, Burns, Coats, Cochran,
Cohen, Craig, Dole, Domenici, Garn, Gramm (TX), Hollings, Lott,
Lugar, Mack, McCain, Nickles, Reid, Roth, Rudman, Simpson, Smith,
Symms, Thurmond, Wallop, Warner. The following Senators did not
vote: Burdick, Dixon, Gore, Hatch, Helms, Seymour.

     The conference committee to reconcile the different House
and Senate versions of the testing moratorium attached to their
respective Energy and Water Appropriations bill is expected to
meet next week. The House approved a 12-month moratorium with no
end date, and the Senate approved a nine-month moratorium with a
1996 end-date, as described above.

     Rep. Tom Bevill (D-AL), chair of the House Energy and Water
Appropriations subcommittee, and Sen. J. Bennett Johnston (D-LA),
chair of the Senate subcommittee, both would like to take all
testing moratorium language out of the bill. Legally, the
conference committee is permitted to do so, but it may be
politically difficult in light of the votes in both houses.

     The following Representatives serve on the House
subcommittee and are expected to be a part of the conference
committee: Bevill, Fazio, Thomas, Chapman, Skaggs, Dwyer, Myers,
Pursell, Gallo. The following Senators serve on the Senate
committee and are also expected to a part of the conference
committee: Johnston, Byrd, Hollings, Sasser, DeConcini, Reid,
Hatfield, Garn, Cochran, Domenici, Specter, Nickles.

     ACTION: Urge your Senator to oppose the Cohen amendment to
the Defense Authorization bill. If your Representative serves on
the Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee, listed above,
call today and urge him or her to keep the moratorium language in
the appropriations bill.

UPDATE: OTHER AMENDMENTS: B-2, TROOPS & CONVERSION

     Senators Pat Leahy (D-VT), William Cohen (R-ME) and Carl
Levin (D-MI) are expected to offer an amendment to the Senate
Defense Authorization bill next week to delete $2.6 billion for
additional B-2 bombers. The Senate Armed Services Committee and
the full House want the additional funds to build a total of 20
planes.

     Sen. Harris Wofford (D-PA) is expected to offer an amendment
to the same bill to place a 100,000 troop cap on the number of
U.S. soldiers in Europe by 1995 - about 50,000 less than the Bush
Administration suggests. A similar provision already has passed
the House.

     Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) may offer an amendment modify and
in some ways improve the $1.2 billion economic conversion package
adopted by the Senate just before the recess. Its provisions
include:

     * Provide an additional year of School Impact Aid to
defense-impacted school districts.

     * Authorize changes to the Economic Dislocation and Worker
Adjustment Assistance program and to the Defense Conversion
Adjustment Act, by providing certain defense workers job-training
assistance up to six months prior to their lay-off and to extend
the definition of "dislocated worker" in law to permit more
flexibility in helping defense workers.

     * Boost worker involvement in federally-supported technology
programs.

     ACTION: Call your Senators and urge them to support the
Leahy-Cohen-Levin amendment to cut B-2 funding; the Wofford
amendment to place a 100,000-U.S. troop cap in Europe by 1995;
and to the Kennedy amendment to strengthen the Senate's economic
conversion program.

UPDATE: ADVANCED FIGHTER SALES TO TAIWAN, SAUDI ARABIA

     Placing the importance of his re-election over the country's
long-term security interests, President Bush began his push for
two major arms sales of advanced fighter aircraft.

     Congressional opposition to the sale of F-16s to Taiwan and
F-15s to Saudi Arabia has been slow to develop, in part because
Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Clinton supports both
sales and the perception that the country badly needs the jobs
created by the sales. SANE/FREEZE and a national coalition of
organizations oppose the sales because they are seen as part of
the dangerous and ultimately destabilizing trade in international
advanced weaponry.

     A letter last fall circulated by Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-
OH) in opposition to the Saudi F-15 sale gathered signatures from
67 Senators, but since then Israel has signaled that it may not
actively oppose the sale and Democrats in Congress are wary of
undermining Clinton's presidential run by disagreeing with him
over a major policy decision. Also, the aircraft is largely built
by McDonnell-Douglas in Missouri - a major "battleground" state
for both presidential candidates. A similar situation exists
regarding the F-16 sale to Taiwan. That aircraft is built by
General Dynamics in Texas.

     The President has yet to give formal announcement of the
sale to Congress. Once that announcement is made, Congress has 30
days to block the sale with a two-thirds vote in both houses.

     ACTION: Write or call your Senators and Representatives and
urge them to oppose both sales, mentioning your concern over the
U.S. role as the No. 1 arms trader.

THE CONGRESSIONAL CALENDAR:

     Congressional primaries are scheduled for tomorrow in
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and
Washington. The Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee is
expected to mark up its fiscal 1993 defense appropriations bill -
without guidance from a completed authorization bill. The fiscal
year for 1993 begins on October 1.


** End of text from cdp:sf.lobby **