Pete Domenici

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Financial Services and Technology of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 1, 1998, to conduct a hearing on identity theft.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition, of the Senate Judiciary Committee, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 1, 1998 at 10:00 a.m. to hold a hearing in room 226, Senate Dirksen Building, on: ``Airline Hubs: Fair Competition or Predatory Pricing?''

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Labor and Human Resources be authorized to meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 1, 1998, at 1:30 p.m.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 1, 1998, at 10:30 a.m. in room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a markup on the following business: (1) the nomination of Katherine Archuleta of Denver, Colorado to serve on the Board of Directors of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; (2) S. 1279, Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act Amendments of 1997; and (3) S. 1797, the Reduction in Tobacco Use and Regulation of Tobacco Products in Indian Country Act of 1998. To be followed immediately by a hearing on Amendments to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent on behalf of the Governmental Affairs Committee to meet on Wednesday, April 1, 1998, at 4:00 p.m. for a business meeting and markup on legislative items and pending nominations.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent on behalf of the Governmental Affairs Committee to meet on Wednesday, April 1, 1998, at 2:30 p.m. for a hearing on the nomination of Melvin R. Wright to be Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on governmental affairs

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent on behalf of the Governmental Affairs Committee to meet on Wednesday, April 1, 1998, at 10:00 a.m. for a hearing on ``Crashing into the Millenium''. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on governmental affairs

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be permitted to meet Wednesday, April 1, 1998 beginning at 10:00 a.m. in room SH-215, to conduct a markup. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on governmental affairs

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full Committee on Environment and Public Works be granted permission to conduct a hearing on environmental tobacco smoke Wednesday, April 1, 1:30 p.m., Hearing Room (SD-406). THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on finance

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 1, 1998 at 9:30 a.m. on pending committee business (tobacco legislation). THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on environment and public works

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent there now be a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes each.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 257, the adjournment resolution, which was received from the House. I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. DOMENICI

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

Mr. DOMENICI. They seem very happy to be excused today. We will keep you slightly later tonight. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, how much time remains on the budget resolution with the completion of work?

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I share the Senator's concern about this issue. It is correct that when inflation increases less than projected, the buying power of a dollar increases. According to CBO, inflation projections for the National Defense Budget Function for 1999 through 2003 have decreased from the 2.6 percent of the GDP Price Index projected last year to rates varying from 2.2 percent to 2.4 percent. This translates into a 1999 inflation ``dividend'' for National Defense of $1.7 billion in budget authority and $0.8 billion in outlays. For 1999-2003, the amounts are $13.2 billion in budget authority and $10.3 billion in outlays. The Department of Defense reports to us that it has already reinvested this dividend in other defense programs. Therefore, taking this money out of the 050 budget this year will cause real program reductions, and I would strongly oppose that. However, DoD does not routinely report these budgetary data to Congress, and I agree that it is important for us to have the data for oversight purposes. I also agree it would be useful to have similar data for both defense and nondefense purchases. I am concerned, however, that an appropriate methodology needs to be developed that is applicable to both defense and nondefense agencies. I am also concerned that we collect information from each major agency and analyze what they do with the additional funds, when such ``dividends'' are generated. Also, I would argue that when inflation is increasing faster than projected, we need to know from the Department of Defense and others what constraints this imposes on purchases. I believe the appropriate agency to develop the methodology and to perform the agency-by-agency research is the General Accounting Office. Once appropriate methodologies have been developed for making estimates of economic changes, we could ask CBO and GAO to perform further research. I am happy to work with the Senator from Oregon on this issue, and I will gladly join with him to request the GAO to perform the needed work. I look forward to starting this research in a timely fashion and making it a part of the information we use to exercise our oversight. Mr. President, I ask that Senator Wyden's amendment, No. 2203, be withdrawn.

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

Mr. DOMENICI. We have no objection to the amendment. We yield back any time we might have on the amendment.

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

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, Senators Burns and Baucus have a new amendment. I send it to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration. I ask it be in order.

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

Mr. DOMENICI. Senator Kyl of Arizona is an original cosponsor. The amendment should be known as Durbin-Kyl. Mr. President, Senator Kyl and Senator Durbin have cooperated on this amendment. There is no objection to it. We don't have to have a vote. I yield back any time there might be on the amendment.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I call up the Durbin amendment, No. 2205.

Mr. DOMENICI. I ask for the yeas and nays on the Bond amendment.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I call up the Bond-Mikulski amendment, as modified. Mr. President, Senator Bond has argued this at length here on the floor of the Senate during the pendency of this budget resolution, and does not desire any time tonight. I would merely indicate that amendment No. 2213, as modified, opposes the President's proposed reduction in elderly housing by expressing the sense of the Senate that the budget resolution levels for elderly housing programs shall be funded between 1999 and 2003 at no less than the 1998 level of $645 million dollars. I yield any time that Senator Bond might have with reference to his amendment.