Kit Bond

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I must note that our first priority for HUD is demand that it more adequately address its principal responsibilities over loan and grant programs for housing and community development. We have worked to drastically cut back on the thicket of programs that it amassed over the years, some 240 individual activities. Though terminations and by consolidating related activities in more flexible, broadly-based grant programs we are reducing burdensome paperwork requirements both for HUD and for the local administering agency. Furthermore, by granting flexibility, we hope to enable local units of government to better tailor programs to meet their specific local needs and priorities. With this orientation,we must be restrained in our appetite for endorsing new programs or initiatives or risk turning back the clock on our reforms by creating a whole new set of categorical programs and requirements. montreal protocol facilitation fund

Mr. BOND. I strongly support finding ways to encourage people to find means of self-support with a goal towards bettering their lives. This seems to me an excellent way to move people away from a state of dependence into one of independence and self-sufficiency. I agree with the Senator from Louisiana that HUD should be supportive of such programs.

Mr. BOND. I would agree with my colleague.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I appreciate the remarks made by my colleague from Rhode Island. While I cannot guarantee the results on this or any other matter in a conference with the House, I will make sure that all conferees are aware of the Senator's strong interest in this vitally important program.

Mr. BOND. I can assure my friend and colleague from Oklahoma that the committee will continue to work with him and the people of Oklahoma in recovering from this terrible tragedy. As the Senator has noted, the committee was pleased to provide $39 million in community development funds last year to aid in the restoration of downtown Oklahoma City. In addition, the emergency supplemental appropriation last year provided $40.4 million for the replacement of the Murrah Federal Building. Additional funds have also been made available administratively through several government agencies, particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Also, as can certainly be understood, only a portion of the $39 million appropriation from last year has been obligated by the city. It takes time to assess the vast damage that occurred and award the contracts for repair. Further, compliance with Federal regulations, such as prevailing wage statutes, adds to the complexity of awarding contracts. Therefore, it takes time to fully obligate these funds. Once these funds are fully expended, I assure the Senator from Oklahoma that I will reassess the remaining assistance needs for the city. I also understand that commitments have been made by the administration to Oklahoma City officials to furnish currently appropriated funds for the relief effort. FEMA has indicated that $2 million will be made available from its public assistance program for infrastructure repair. Further, the administration has agreed to make available $2.1 million for the purchase of land for a Federal campus for housing several Federal agencies. Both of these items were to be paid for by the emergency appropriation. This will enable the city to repay additional damage claims from this emergency supplemental. Let me state to the Senator, however, that no budget request from the administration has been received for additional funds. Such a request would show what offsets, if any, the administration intended to utilize to pay for these added funds. It would also indicate whether or not this was an emergency designation, or if it intended to use reprogrammed funds from existing appropriations. I commend the Senator for his ongoing commitment to ensure that Oklahoma City, and indeed the entire State of Oklahoma, recovers from this terrible tragedy. I fully intend to work with the Senator, the administration, and the city of Oklahoma City to meet any need for further assistance. hud's authority regarding property insurance

Mr. BOND. I appreciate the senior Senator from California raising the very important issue of the development of research capabilities and instruments for use on the space station. As the Senator indicates, the space station program will draw upon a wide variety of disciplines and technical capabilities of NASA, as well as other research institutions here in the United States and those of our international partners. With such a widely distributed effort, involving so many different parties, it is critical that we demand of NASA a rigorous system of utilizing the most capable entities available to as to yield the highest quality research for our significant investment in this program. The Senator is justifiably proud of the biotechnology capabilities of Ames Research Center, and I certainly agree that shifts in responsibility for important research tasks be very sensitive to issues of technical merit and capacity. I am aware that NASA has under consideration a shift in responsibility for the centrifuge facility which is a matter of significant concern to me. The Congress has long supported retention of the centrifuge in the face of repeated past proposals to eliminate this important facility. The centrifuge is crucial to life science studies since it provides a control for experiments in the microgravity environment of the space station. Unfortunately, as the Senator from California knows, NASA has requested authority to shift funding for the current fiscal year, and for the next 2 years, within the $2.1 billion annual cap. The cost of fabricating components of the overall spacecraft such as the nodes are requiring greater investment at this point in the development program to maintain deployment schedule goals. These funding shifts from space station research hardware development, to spacecraft development, require rescheduling and optimization of space station research program plans in order to avoid cost overruns and minimize adverse program impacts. We are evaluating these requirements and will be proposing changes in conference to the NASA appropriations accounts to enable the agency to make the most effective use of available funding. We extensively will examine the agency proposals to make sure that such authorities will retain critical research capabilities within a workable overall development schedule. I want to assure her that we will all participate in evaluating the merits of the agency's proposals, and I certainly expect NASA to consult fully with all affected parties prior to making significant program changes.

Mr. BOND. I thank the Senator from California. The committee encourages NASA to collaborate with other Federal agencies and private industry to pursue opportunities for public-private partnerships to apply Mission to Planet Earth data for environmental, agricultural, transportation, fisheries and forestry management, as well as disaster prediction and management. I believe a cooperative program between NASA's Johnson Space Center and the State of California and other seismically active States, such as my own State of Missouri, would be an excellent example of this committee's intent.

Mr. BOND. We would be happy to yield to the Senator from California.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, this amendment provides supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 1996 for VA compensation and pensions. The department has just, today, notified our staffs that they anticipate being short $100 million in this current fiscal year for compensation. Without this supplemental, checks for about 2 million veterans would be delayed for a week until the start of the new fiscal year. It is supported on this side.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BOND. I send an amendment to the desk relating to an increase in the amounts for compensation and pensions of $100 million for the Veterans Administration and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. BOND. There is no objection to the amendment on this side.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I send to the desk, on behalf of Senator McCain, an amendment relating to FHA insurance for large FHA projects. I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. BOND. We have no objection.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk, by Mrs. Feinstein, relating to transfer of property to the city of Downey, CA. I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. BOND. It is agreed to on this side.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk by Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Murkowski, and Mr. Rockefeller, to revise the name of the United States-Japan Friendship Commission, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I gather now we are able to wrap up the other matters which do not require a vote. We will attempt to do those very quickly. These are matters that have been cleared on both sides. Amendment No. 5198 (Purpose: To revise the name of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission)