Ben Campbell

Mr. CAMPBELL

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

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

Mr. CAMPBELL. I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Ms. Landrieu and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. CAMPBELL

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now consider amendment No. 3355, offered by Senator Kohl, and that I be added as a cosponsor. I urge this amendment be adopted. There is support by both sides of the aisle.

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I yield time to Senator Hutchinson for the purpose of offering an amendment.

Mr. CAMPBELL. We have several Senators who want to speak in opposition to this amendment who are not on the floor yet, but I ask unanimous consent that we lay the present amendment aside for the purpose of allowing Senator Warner from Virginia to introduce another amendment.

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CAMPBELL. I ask unanimous consent reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. CAMPBELL. I yield to the Senator from Nevada. Change Of Vote

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the motion was rejected.

Mr. CAMPBELL. I now ask unanimous consent to return to the Hutchinson amendment.

Mr. CAMPBELL. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. CAMPBELL. It is my understanding that the Warner amendment of technical changes is supported by both sides of the aisle. I urge its passage.

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, this amendment deals with the Department of Transportation headquarters and redirects the funds for Capitol security. I know Senator Warner would like to speak to this. I yield him time. Mr. WARNER addressed the Chair.

Mr. CAMPBELL

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. 2312, the Treasury-Postal appropriations bill.

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I am pleased to lay before the Senate the committee recommendation for the Treasury Department, the Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and various independent agencies. The bill crafted by the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government contains a total of $29,923,547,000 in new budget authority. Of that amount, $13,613,547,000 is in mandatory accounts, and $3,250,000,000 is provided for much-needed funding for all Federal agencies to address the year 2000, or Y2K, computer problem, contingent upon an emergency designation by the administration. The committee recommendation is within the 302(b) allocations and strikes a delicate balance between congressional priorities, administrative initiatives, and agency needs. This would not have been possible without the hard work and cooperation from my friend and colleague, Senator Kohl, the subcommittee ranking member, and his staff. It was not easy to strike this balance while staying within our mutually agreed-upon fiscal constraints. As most of our colleagues are aware, approximately 80 percent of the accounts in this bill are for salaries and expenses, meeting those needs, and increasing our flexibility to fund new initiatives and congressional priorities. The committee recommends a funding of $11,555,000,137 for title I for the Department of Treasury. This is $176.653 million more than the fiscal year 1998 enacted level. The committee has again placed a priority on promoting the Treasury's law enforcement, ensuring that they can hire, train, and retrain the best of Federal law enforcement, while at the same time support efforts by State and local law enforcement. There are some provisions of title I that I would like to highlight for colleagues. This bill includes $132 million for law enforcement initiatives through the violent crime reduction trust fund, known as the VCRTF; continuation and expansion of the Gang Resistance Education And Training Program, called the GREAT Program--to help our young people develop the skills to stay out of trouble; $27 million to continue and expand the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative--to allow Federal, State, and local law enforcement to stem the tide of illegal firearms trafficking to the youth of this country. It includes doubling a staff level for the Customs Service antichild pornography efforts; full funding for Southwest border technology enhancements and staffing; additional funding for the IRS for much-needed customer service initiatives. In title II, the committee recommends an appropriation of $71.195 million for the U.S. Postal Service. Under the provisions of this bill, the Postal Service is required to provide free mailing for overseas voters and the blind, maintain 6-day delivery and rural delivery, as well as prohibited from consolidating or closing small and rural post offices. Title III is the Executive Office of the President and funds appropriated to the President. The total recommendation for title III is $3,838,441,000. This includes the White House Office, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of the National Drug Control Policy, the Federal drug control programs, and funding for the National Antidrug Media Campaign. Also included is the information technology system and related expenses account to deal with the year 2000 problems. Of special note are: $13 million for the continuation of the technology transfer program under the drug czar's office--to allow State and local law enforcement to benefit from research and development; $175 million to continue the National Antidrug Media Campaign; continued funding for high-intensity drug trafficking areas, known as HIDTAs. Title IV is independent agencies such as the Federal Election Commission, General Services Administration, and the National Archives, in addition to agencies involved in Federal employment, such as the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Office of Government Ethics, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Office of Special Counsel. The committee recommends $14,458,969,000 for this title. Of particular interest to many of our colleagues is the funding level for the General Services Administration, which includes $500 million for new courthouse construction. In order to stay within the 302(b) allocations, we were forced to make many difficult decisions regarding outlays. Although I know this is not unique to the Treasury and General Government Subcommittee, our outlays allocations forced us to make difficult choices, which we would not have otherwise made. This bill deserves the support of the Senate. I believe I can honestly say that although not everybody got what they wanted, we did our best to accommodate all of our colleagues' requests. I must remind my colleagues that if you are considering any additional spending in this bill, it must be offset. Finally, none of this would have been possible without the work and support of Senator Kohl. I particularly thank Barbara Retzlaff of his staff, who consistently brings her knowledge and expertise to this bill, and also our own staff, Pat Raymond, Tammy Perrin and Lula Edwards, who have worked so hard and so many evenings on this bill. At this time, I yield the floor to my friend, Senator Kohl.

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following individuals have floor privileges for the duration of the consideration of S. 2312, the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government appropriations bill for fiscal year 1999: Ms. Tammy Perrin and Ms. Lula Edwards.

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, before I send the first amendment to the desk, I would like to associate myself with the remarks made by Senator Leahy, whom I found to be very poignant and very moving in his tribute to the two slain officers. Today, Mr. President, is sad day indeed for the congressional family, because in just 30 minutes--in fact, a little less than that--we will all participate in a memorial for Detective John Gibson and Officer ``J.J.'' Jacob Joseph Chestnut, who gave their lives in the line of duty this past Friday. In fact, the Capitol Police patch which I wear today in memory and honor was given to me by Detective Gibson just a few weeks ago. As late as 2 weeks ago, he was kind enough to come out all the way to Dulles Airport when I had a delayed flight and get me here on time for a vote on Monday night. I was a military policeman, Mr. President, and a deputy sheriff in my younger days. Like most former law enforcement officers, like Senator Leahy was, perhaps the death of these two wonderful men touched us in a very special way, because for law enforcement people, when a law enforcement officer is killed, it is not like losing a stranger or a colleague, it is like losing a brother or a sister. But our system of democracy mandates that our citizens, who own this building, have a right to enter it at any time. I think that is the way it should be. Most of us want to keep it that way, as Senator Kohl has alluded to. Today, however, we debate the Treasury, Postal, and General Government appropriations bill. This bill, above any bill with which we have wrestled, determines the use of and restrictions on firearms. The framers of the Constitution, I believe, could never have foreseen the nuances that have come into play in modern America when we discuss our second amendment rights. Mr. President, in this very saddened atmosphere in which we bring our bill to the floor, I suppose some of our colleagues may be tempted in the heat of the time to load this bill down with gun amendments. I, frankly, hope that does not happen. It may be the right issue. It may be the right place to talk about them. But this is not the right time. To use this bill as a vehicle for any rush to judgment with those amendments, or to use it as an anti-second amendment platform, I think would be inappropriate and unwise. No one is more saddened at the loss of our two officer heroes than I am. But I would like to tell my colleagues who are watching these proceedings in their offices now that I intend to move to table any gun amendments that may be offered during this tragic time. Amendment No. 3340

Mr. CAMPBELL. With that, Mr. President, I send the first amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Faircloth, Senator Kohl, and myself.

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

Mr. CAMPBELL

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I understand that H.R. 4250, the Patient Protections Act, has arrived from the House and is now at the desk. I now ask for its first reading.

Mr. CAMPBELL. I now ask for its second reading, and I object to my own request.

Mr. CAMPBELL

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, today I submit a Senate concurrent resolution to rename the Document Door as the Chestnut-Gibson Memorial Door. I feel that it is only fitting that this door be named in honor of the two brave Capitol Police Officers, Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut, who just last Friday, gave their lives in the line of duty while serving their country. Last Friday's shocking and senseless violence in the halls of the U.S. Capitol both saddened our nation and took the lives of two of our finest. Officer Jacob Chestnut was posted at the Document Door entrance on the Capitol's East Front. Officers posted to this entrance are the first faces that many tourists see when they come to visit the Capitol. Officer Chestnut's post, which involves achieving a delicate balance between the ensuring safety of those who visit the Capitol while keeping the People's House as free and open as possible, requires a very special combination of hospitality, humor, patience and professionalism. To his credit, Officer Chestnut excelled in this endeavor. Detective John Gibson was the second Capitol Police Officer to engage the gunman. I understand that it was Detective John Gibson's last shot, his final act of a defender of the peace, that brought the gunman down and ended the violent rampage. The Detective's steadfast valor, while already having been shot several times, was the difference that saved many lives. We all owe him a deep debt of gratitude. If it had not been for the heroic actions of these two brave officers, this dangerous gunman would almost certainly have killed many more innocent people. The two officer's ultimate sacrifice saved many lives. This building, the U.S. Capitol, is far more than just a building, it is a living monument to freedom and democracy. It is perhaps the only building on earth that simultaneously houses a healthy democracy at work, while standing as a tribute to freedom that attracts millions of visitors from all over the U.S. and the entire world each year. The chambers, galleries and halls of our Capitol are full of statues, busts, paintings and displays that commemorate heroes and key events in our nation's history. The men and women honored under this magnificent dome have served their country in a wide variety of ways. Some have been great visionaries and statesmen. Some have been leaders in science or adventurers, like Colorado's son, astronaut Jack Swigert whose statue stands in these halls. Each of these heroes has contributed and sacrificed in his or her own very real and personal way. Some of these heroes have made the greatest sacrifice for their nation, giving their lives. Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut have joined this honored rank. They gave their lives for their nation while protecting our nation's Capitol, and it is fitting that they will lie in honor today in the Capitol's Rotunda while a grateful nation pays its respects. Not only is the Capitol the American people's house, it stands as a bright beacon of hope to all of the world's freedom loving people. While traveling this building's halls, I have been regularly awed by the comments of visitors from other countries about how open and free this building is. They state how they would never be allowed to walk so freely through the halls of their own capital buildings back home in their respective countries. This is an important part of what makes America great. Whenever I have heard such sentiments, I am reminded of just how fortunate I am, and we all are, to be Americans. Our Capitol is the People's House, and it must remain open and accessible to all. Thanks to the sacrifices of Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut, and the dedication and professionalism of the entire U.S. Capitol Police force, our nation's Capitol building is freely accessible and continues to serve as a beacon of freedom. For these reasons I feel that it is only fitting that the Document Door be renamed in honor of the two brave Capitol Police Officers, Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut, who gave their lives so that the Capitol building could remain the People's House and open to all.

Mr. CAMPBELL

Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.