Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Chair. And I thank the distinguished Senator from Delaware.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I come to the floor to make a statement concerning the bill that has been approved by--really an amendment approved by the Appropriations Committee. This afternoon we met, and the Appropriations Committee has authorized me--and Senator Byrd--to present an amendment to the District of Columbia appropriations bill. It is before the Senate. And this will be an amendment in the nature of a substitute. We had hoped to be able to proceed at this time and get an agreement with regard to that. I have asked the distinguished Democratic leader to join me. And I have discussed the matter with our leader. The difficulty is that several Members still want to read over portions of that proposed amendment before we seek to proceed on it. After discussing it with the distinguished Democratic leader, I think that is the better part of valor. I had previously made the announcement that we would offer it tonight and hope to have debate tonight and vote tomorrow. We have a continuing resolution that expires tomorrow evening. But if the Democratic leader agrees, I think we will just hold off, and it would be the intention of the leadership to try and move to bring this matter before the Senate tomorrow, as I understand it, sometime around 1 or 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. If that meets with the Democratic leader's approval, we will just not proceed tonight. Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Democratic leader. Because of the expiration of the continuing resolution tomorrow night, and the desire of Members not to be here next week on matters that would require votes, I hope that we will be able to get to it tomorrow, and get it to the House in time for the House to consider it and dispose of it. We may face this bill coming back to us with an amendment from the House before we are through tomorrow. So it would have been my wish that we could have done it tonight, but under the circumstances we will defer until tomorrow. I thank the Chair, and I thank the distinguished Senator. Mr. CRAIG addressed the Chair.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Katie Howard be permitted privileges of the floor.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I announce to the Senate that the Appropriations Committee will meet tomorrow at noon to see if we can devise a way to complete action on all bills tomorrow. That is tomorrow at 12 noon in 128.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I yield 5 minutes to Senator Coverdell.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I yield 10 minutes of my time to the control of the two Senators from Utah.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, how much time remains of my 30 minutes?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I want this record to reflect my disappointment with the levels authorized in this bill for the National Guard. Since the end of the cold war, we have undertaken the most massive restructuring of our military forces since the end of World War II. The cornerstone of these initiatives has been greater reliance on the National Guard and Reserves to meet both day-to-day and major crisis military requirements. Sadly, the bill before the Senate retreats from, and does damage to, the expanded role for the Guard. This year, tens of thousands of Guard and Reserve personnel have been deployed to Bosnia, Haiti, Southwest Asia, Central America, and Korea. By the account of every regional commander in chief, they have performed these duties with a level of professionalism and excellence indistinguishable from the Active Force. They are simply that good. Their performance in the field merits the total support of the House and Senate. The Guard and Reserve comprise 38 percent of the total force. However, funding for these components in this bill equates to only 8 percent of the total funding for the Department of Defense. The cost of forces in the Guard and Reserve is less per capita-- significantly less than the active components. But 38 percent of the force deserves more than 8 percent of the available funding. The Guard needs modern, new equipment. They need training--particularly flying hours and adequate maintenance money for tanks, trucks, and other vehicles. They need ammunition and travel money. They need the funding to continue to be fully ready to deploy. This bill does real damage to the force structure, readiness, and morale of our National Guard. Fortunately, the Defense appropriations bill passed by the Senate last month does provide the increased funding for the Guard. The Defense appropriations and military construction bills achieved a real bipartisan consensus in support of the National Guard. We carefully reviewed the needs identified by the National Guard and Reserves. We allocated funding to meet their most urgent personnel, readiness, and modernization priorities. The National Guard and Reserves cannot be asked to take on more missions, more deployments, and more responsibility without the support of Congress. This bill fails that test. The levels authorized in this bill would require a 5,000 personnel reduction in the Army National Guard. This bill authorizes $108 million less in the vital Army Guard Operation and maintenance account that was appropriated by the Congress and signed by the President for 1998. This bill reduces funding for the Air National Guard by almost $14 million. I regret that on the levels provided for the National Guard there are these differences between the 1998 authorization and appropriations bills. I do not regret the actions we took in the appropriations bill, which provided greater support for the National Guard. Even that was not enough. Our committee deserves to be criticized also for not having provided even more. But this bill means we can't spend the money we have already appropriated. There are other differences between our two bills--especially in the procurement and research and development accounts. Our committee worked hard to pass an appropriations bill early that incorporates the Department's and the Senate's priorities. We attempted, as much as possible, to follow the authorization bill that passed the Senate. When the Defense authorization bill undercuts these accounts and programs, it causes great concern within the Department of Defense. They will be asked by the Armed Services Committee not to spend the money as it was intended by the appropriations bill--and DoD cannot spend the money for items in this authorization bill for funds were not appropriated in the bills that were already passed. The funding could has been allocated more effectively. This does not serve the institution well. A further blow against the position taken by the Senate in support of the National Guard was the rejection of the increased rank and role for the next chief of the National Guard. Forty-nine Senators cosponsored this effort on a total bipartisan basis. Instead, this conference report creates two new advisory positions for the National Guard and Reserves. The National Guard already has a chief and two very capable directors--it does not need additional advisers. This legislation is, in fact, a step backward for the National Guard and Reserves, and they do not endorse or support this approach. I want to assure the Senate, and our friends in the National Guard, that we will be back next year--this matter is not closed, as far as this Senator is concerned. The men and women of the Armed Forces deserve, and should receive, the pay raise funded in the Defense appropriations bill that is authorized in this legislation. They must have that. The military construction projects appropriated for 1998 will be stalled unless we pass the bill. Incidentally, 38 of the projects in the military construction bill, line-itemed by the President, are in this bill. All 38 of them are authorized by this bill, and the House will soon send us a bill to ask the President to reconsider the line-item veto of each of those 38 projects. So, I am not asking the Senate to defeat the bill. I do urge others to speak up and to commit to readdress these significant Guard and Reserve component issues next year. It is with great regret, however, that I announce to the Senate I will not vote for this conference report. It will be the first conference report on a Defense authorization bill that I have not voted for in 29 years. I feel very strongly about this. That is why I want to make it a matter of record. I don't intend to support an authorization bill again until we do address the problem of the readiness account and the status of the National Guard in the defense structure.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, do I have any further time left?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full Committee on Environment and Public Works be granted permission to conduct a business meeting Thursday, November 6, 9:30 a.m., hearing room (SD-406) on H.R. 1787, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, and other pending business.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 10 a.m. to hold a hearing.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, be authorized to hold an executive business meeting during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 10 a.m., in room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 2 p.m., in room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building to hold a hearing on the nomination of Robert S. Warshaw, of New York, to be Associate Director for National Drug Control Policy and Thomas S. Umberg to be Deputy Director for Supply Reduction for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 6, 1997 at: 9:30 a.m. to hold an open hearing on intelligence matters and 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing on intelligence matters.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on International Relations of the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 3 p.m., to hold a hearing.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent on behalf of the Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia, to meet on Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 12 p.m., for a hearing on ``Music Violence: How Does it Affect Our Youth? An Examination of the Impact of Violent Music Lyrics on Youth Behavior and Well-Being in the District of Columbia and Across the Nation.''

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, today marks the 100th anniversary of the Thomas Jefferson Building, the crown jewel of the buildings occupied by the Library of Congress. As vice chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, it is my privilege to mark this important day. The Library of Congress occupies a unique place in American history, and in the vast flow of information that crosses the globe and drives America's economic well-being. The Library is Congress' legislative library, our major research arm, and a national library as well as cultural institution. Congress has nurtured this Library from its creation in Philadelphia, through the legislature's move to the new capital city of Washington, through the 1814 British invasion of Washington that burned the Capitol and the Library of Congress, and through our purchase of Thomas Jefferson's own extensive library to recommence the Library of Congress as a universal collection of knowledge. By the 1870's, the Library of Congress collections had grown to more than 300,000 volumes and had already outgrown the space in the Capitol that it had occupied since its move to Washington. It was the foresight of Ainsworth Rand Spofford, the sixth Librarian of Congress, that helped transform the Library of Congress into an institution of national stature, and eventually lead to the building of the Thomas Jefferson building we celebrate today. Spofford recognized the importance of copyright deposit as a means to ensure the continued development of the Library's collections. After the 1870 revision of the copyright law, two copies of every book, pamphlet, map, print, photograph, and piece of music registered for copyright was to be deposited with the Library of Congress. The copyright law today continues to fuel the Library's special collections, including film, television, digital materials, and computer software. The growth of the collections through copyright deposit created the need for a new building for the Library of Congress. The building, later named for Thomas Jefferson, was authorized in 1886 and completed in 1897, on time and under budget and was immediately hailed as a national monument--an imposing structure of the Italian Renaissance style. Every Member of Congress has had the opportunity to visit the magnificently restored Jefferson Building and admire the extraordinary beauty and grandeur of the Great Hall, the Main Reading Room, and the Members' Room. It is not a simple matter to authorize a new Federal building, let alone a building to be constructed immediately adjacent to the Capitol. Librarian of congress Spofford had two staunch allies: Senator Daniel W. Voorhees of Indiana and Senator Justin S. Morrill of Vermont. Today, Senator Morrill's efforts will be recognized. A plaque honoring his commitment to the Library and construction of the Jefferson Building will be unveiled by our current Librarian of Congress, James Billington, and the Vermont congressional delegation. The Morrill plaque will flank that recognizing Senator Voorhees so that each Senator might be honored by all who enter the Great Hall for their dedication to and vision for Congress' Library. This evening, on behalf of the Joint Committee on the Library, I will join the joint committee chairman, Representative Bill Thomas, Librarian James Billington, and Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman to light for the very first time the restored Torch of Learning that crowns the Thomas Jefferson Building. The Main Reading Room is the heart of the Thomas Jefferson Building. It is covered by a beautiful dome, the exterior of which is covered by a great blazing torch and flame, marking the center and apex of the Jefferson Building. This torch and flame are symbolic of the learning and knowledge in the Library of Congress. From now on, the glowing Torch of Learning will light the skyline over the Capitol, a worthy companion to the lighted dome of the Capitol. I thank, on behalf of my colleagues on the joint committee, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol which has overseen the restoration of the Jefferson Building we celebrate today. As the Library of Congress moves toward its Bicentennial in the year 2000, Congress will continue to reap the benefits of the Library's incomparable collections. In particular, our constituents will benefit from Librarian James Billington's efforts to extend the Library's unique special collections and service nationwide through the Internet. One hundred years ago, the Congress supported the vision of Ainsworth Rand Spofford and provided the means for the collections to grow and to be housed in a building described as the most beautiful in America. As the Library of Congress approaches the 21st century, it needs and deserves the continued support of Congress as our nation's strategic information reserve. I ask that a summary of the Library's operations, to date this year, be printed in the Record. The material follows: Librarian of Congress, Washington, DC, October 24, 1997. Hon. Ted Stevens, Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: It will be some months before the Library's Annual Report for FY97 is completed and delivered to you. I wanted to take the beginning of a new fiscal year as an occasion to provide you with a summary of the Library's operations. I believe that it is important for you, as a Member of Congress charged with oversight of the Library, to understand the Library's management goals and our progress toward them. management General Donald Scott has just marked his first anniversary as Deputy Librarian, the Library's Chief Operating Officer. Don's capable handling of the Library's day-to-day operations has enabled me to focus on policy concerns, planning for the Library's Bicentennial (see below), and completing the necessary private-sector fundraising to meet our goal of $45 million for the National Digital Library (NDL). To date, we have $30 million in gifts and pledges. The NDL site continues to be one of the most recognized content sites on the Internet. THOMAS, the American Memory collections, and the Learning Page are used by millions of citizens, legislators, teachers, parents, and students each month. The National Science Foundation will shortly announce a second round of Digital Library research grants. The Library of Congress's NDL and the National Library of Medicine have been invited to participate as user test-bed sites for possible cutting-edge research applications. A recent example may help suggest to you the importance of this invitation from NSF. Compression software, originally developed at the Los Alamos Lab and only recently made available for non-defense applications, was given as a gift to the Library. for the first time, the Library was able to digitize items from our enormous map collections for the NDL. This compression software made it possible to display and search maps for the first time. We hope that other research breakthroughs will help the Library offer even more diverse collections through the NDL. Under the leadership of Chief of Staff, Jo Ann Jenkins, the Library has updated its strategic plan through 2004. We have also established a Directorate for planning, Management and Evaluation (PMED), headed by Thomas Bryant. Finally, the Library's second external audit of its financial operations received a clean option from KPMG. This is an outstanding achievement, in only the second audit cycle, for any government agency. security In February 1997, the Library hired Kenneth Lopez as its Director of Security. Working under Ken with a team of security professionals, curators, and senior librarians, we have completed the Library's Security Plan, and I have forwarded it to the Library's oversight committees for their review. The Library's external audit process calls for an annual review of the Library's care and control of its ``heritage assets''--the 112 million items in the Library's collections. The audit will, therefore, provide an annual update on the Library's overall security of its collections. bicentennial As you well know, the Library will celebrate its bicentenary--along with the bicentenary of the Congress' move to Washington--in the year 2000. On October 6th, the Library announced its theme, goals, and overall plans and launched a website for its Bicentennial (http:/www.loc.gov/ bicentennial). A copy of our announcement is enclosed with this letter. Prior to our public announcement, I wrote to Members of Congress to invite their participation and that of their constituents--particularly libraries--in our plans. I am pleased that we have received over 100 responses to date. On October 7, the Madison Council, the Library's private- sector advisory fundraising group, hosted a gala to launch the Bicentennial and to raise funds for its implementation. The evening, a celebration of Creative America, highlighted the Library's enormously rich music and manuscript collections and raised $800,000 to support Bicentennial programs, bringing the total commitment to date from the Madison Council to $1.5 million. Thanks are due to John Kluge, chair of the Madison Council, and to the gala co- chairs, Buffy Cafritz of Washington, D.C., and Alyne Massey of Nashville, Tennessee. legislative update We are deeply grateful that the Library's FY98 budget was very generously supported by the Congress. In particular, funding for our top priority, an Integrated Library System (ILS), and for the cost of our mandatory pay raises will make an enormous difference in the Library's ability to continue to secure its collection and provide the highest quality service to the Congress and to the nation. The American Folklife Center requires reauthorization. Consistent with the Board's wishes, and with my wholehearted support, we have transmitted the formal request for permanent authorization for the Center to the Library's oversight committees. Particularly as the Library approaches its own Bicentenary, it is essential that this important collection and its curators have assurance of their place in the Library. The collection itself dates from the 1890's The Center was created during the Bicentenary of the American Revolution in 1976 as a powerful tool to ensure the place of folklore and local history and customs in our national consciousness. The rich ethnic and regional materials in the Center's Archive comprise the nation's largest and most varied folklore collection--filled with the type of material that is providing of special value for local schools and libraries throughout America on the National Digital Library. The Library is beginning the new fiscal year with strategic goals, sound financial management, significant new staffing, and enormous external and internal enthusiasm and interest in our Bicentenary. I trust that I can count on your continued interest and support. Please feel free to follow up on any topic I have raised. We would be pleased to come brief you further at any time. Sincerely, James H. Billington, The Librarian of Congress. Enclosure. Library of Congress--Bicentennial 1800-2000 Libraries, Creativity, Liberty In a press conference on October 6, 1997, the Librarian of Congress James H. Billington presented preliminary plans for the commemoration of the Library's Bicentennial in the year 2000. ``From its earliest days, the Library of Congress has supported the work of libraries everywhere in the spirit of James Madison, who eloquently said that he could not imagine anything more essential for our new republic than `liberty and learning, each leaning on each other for their mutual and surest support' . . . `knowledge will forever govern ignorance and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives.' We believe that the link between learning and liberty is one of our most basic civic truths. It is our responsibility as the largest library to ensure that the tools of learning are universally accessible.'' goal of the bicentennial commemoration The goal of the Bicentennial commemoration is ``To inspire creativity in the century ahead by stimulating greater use of libraries and other avenues of learning everywhere.'' The Bicentennial goal will be achieved through a variety of national, state, and local projects, developed in collaboration with the offices of the Members of Congress, the Library's staff, and special advisory committees. bicentennial logo and theme The logo for the Bicentennial commemoration features the interior dome of the Library's famous Main Reading Room and the theme ``Libraries, Creativity, Liberty.'' The unseen painting within the circle in the dome's ``eye'' is the image of a woman representing ``Human Understanding.'' In the painting, ``Human Understanding'' is lifting her veil and looking upward toward the future. This logo and theme symbolize what the Bicentennial Commemoration is about: stimulating creativity and ensuring a free society through greater use of libraries everywhere. The Library of Congress looks forward in the months ahead to developing ways for other libraries to share in the use of this logo. bicentennial plans Libraries of all kinds and sizes are invited to participate in the Bicentennial Commemoration of the Library of Congress, which will celebrate the creative use of knowledge as a function of democracy. At the October 6 press conference, John Y. Cole, the Library's Bicentennial project director and director of the Center for the Book, said ``Libraries are important educational institutions and a natural link between learning and liberty; this is their celebration too.'' Core Bicentennial endeavors include ``Gifts to the Nation,'' ``Frontiers of Knowledge,'' ``Local Legacies'' and ``Favorite Poems.'' Gifts to the Nation The ``Gifts to the Nation'' program is a reciprocal endeavor. It will include activities such as significant acquisitions for the Library's collections; the Library's commissioning of creative works of music, drama, art and literature; and the Library's effort, through its National Digital Library Program, of making available electronically millions of items from its American historical collections by the end of the year 2000. The idea of Bicentennial ``Gifts to the Nation'' continues the Library's proud tradition of helping local libraries through donating surplus books and by providing cataloging information, services which save libraries millions of dollars each year. Frontiers of Knowledge Drawing on the remarkable comprehensiveness and diversity of the Library's collections, the ``Frontiers of Knowledge'' program will present a series of lectures and symposia exploring ideas that shape our lives, especially as we look to the next century. At the June 1999 conference, ``The Frontiers for the Mind in the 21st Century,'' distinguished scholars will summarize significant developments in approximately 20 fields in the past century and look ahead to challenges in the year 2000 and beyond. Interaction between the scholars and young people, the latter representing every Congressional District in the nation, will be an important focus of the conference. Fields of inquiry will include: demography, immunology/epidemiology, economics, political philosophy/law, semiotics, neuroscience, molecular evolution and historical genetics, cosmology, earth and ocean science, ecology, biochemistry, physics/computer science, religion/ theology, history as narrative, humanities, literature, ethnomusicology, philosophy, and cultural psychology. Local Legacies ``Local Legacies'' will build upon local projects now underway nationally in partnership with Library of Congress offices such as the American Folklife Center and the Center for the Book to highlight the richness of America's heritage at the end of the century and the millennium. These include Montana Heritage, Rivers of America, Literary Maps of America, and Building a Nation of Readers. The Montana Heritage project, funded by the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, fosters projects in local schools teaching students how to research and document local cultural heritage. The Rivers of America project examines and celebrates the historical, literary, and environmental heritage of America's rivers. It encourages high school students, such as those taking part in the Montana Heritage project, to focus their field research on a local river, particularly the history of the community in relation to that river. Documentary reports and histories for the collections of local institutions are one product. The Literary Map project encourages learning about local geography and literature--simultaneously. Literary maps depict a state or region's literary heritage, usually through colorful, well- illustrated maps that show where authors live or were born or where novels or well-known books were written. Since 1992, more than 20 such maps have been created and added to the collections of the Library of Congress. To remind Americans of the importance of reading to individuals and to the nation, the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress has chosen Building a Nation of Readers for the Library of Congress's national reading promotion campaign for the years 1997-2000. The Library also wants to identify local historical collections that should be linked with the National Digital Library. Favorite Poems Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky will take the lead in the ``favorite poem'' project, which will feature approximately 100 Americans from all walks of life choosing and reading aloud a favorite poem. The resulting audio and video archives, in Mr. Pinsky's words, will be ``a record, at the end of the century, of what we choose, and what we do with our voices and faces, when asked to say aloud a poem that we love.'' Commemorative Coin and Stamp Legislation has been introduced for a Bicentennial commemorative coin. The Library of Congress is also exploring a Bicentennial commemorative stamp series, based on its unparalleled collections, to be issued in the year 2000. Bicentennial Publications Between the fall of 1997 and the year 2000, the Library of Congress will produce several major publications as part of fulfilling its Bicentennial goal of stimulating creativity and wisdom through greater understanding of the Library and its remarkable collections. Highlights of the Bicentennial publishing program include: 1997 Eyes of the Nation: A Visual History of the United States A pictorial and narrative history published by Alfred A. Knopf, Eyes of the Nation contains more than 500 full-color and duotone illustrations from the Library's collections. The book marks the centennial of four of the Library's major collection divisions: Prints and Photographs, Manuscript, Music and Geography and Map. An Eyes of the Nation CD-ROM is also available. The Library of Congress: The Art and Architecture of the Thomas Jefferson Building Published by W. W. Norton, The Art and Architecture of the Thomas Jefferson Building features essays and 280 illustrations, 185 of them in color, depicting the architecture and decorative elements in this magnificent building. The book commemorates the centennial of the building's opening. 1998 The Jefferson Building: A Guide for Visitors This publication will provide visitors a compact, but fully illustrated book. 1999 The Library of Congress: A Bicentennial History Published by Yale University Press, the volume will be a well-illustrated popular history and interpretation of the Library's 200 years of service to Congress and the nation. Encyclopedia of the Library of Congress The illustrated, one-volume reference work will contain 12 topical essays and approximately 150 brief entries about the Library and its activities. 2000 The Library of Congress in American Life, 1800-2000 The Library of Congress in American Life will be a four- volume documentary set, featuring the Library's chronology, biographies of the Librarians of Congress, documents and resources for the study of the Library, and current scholarly research about the Library and its role in American life. virtual tour of the thomas jefferson building A Virtual Tour of the Thomas Jefferson Building, with photographs and moving panoramas of the splendid public spaces and other rooms of this historic building, is currently being prepared for the Library's World Wide Web site. other bicentennial projects under development Among other Bicentennial projects in the early planning stages are major exhibitions, Jefferson Knowledge, and Democratic and America at Play, and national television programming. Jefferson, Knowledge, and Democracy Exhibition This major exhibition is being planned for April-October 2000 and will use Jefferson's personal books that he sold to the Congress in 1815, his personal papers, his architectural drawings, his personal artifacts (such as his original ``reading machine,'' a revolving reading stand which he designed) to examine his ideas. A secondary theme will be how these ideas--in architecture, the arts, law, science, politics, music, geography, agriculture, and other subjects- have influenced America and the world. Jefferson's idea on the relationship between knowledge and democracy are as vital today as when he first enunciated them. This is clearly evident in the intense debate on those ideas among contemporary Jeffersonian scholars, which will be explored in the exhibition. Jefferson's coupling of knowledge and freedom also are at the root of the current impassioned demand for an information ``superhighway'' whereby knowledge can be speedily and universally disseminated. The exhibition will be the centerpiece for a series of events and multi-media projects that will help make Jefferson's ideas (and the Jefferson-Library of Congress connection) understandable to a wide audience. Interpretive brochures, a catalog, educational materials, a summer institute for teachers, a concert of music in Jefferson's time, films, and various videos will enhance the exhibition. America at Play Exhibition America at Play is the second exhibition to celebrate the Library's 200th anniversary; through it visitors can see and enjoy how Americans have amused themselves over the past two centuries. Drawing on the Library of Congress's extensive and unique collections, the exhibitions will take its cue from prints, photographs, maps, travel literature, recorded audio and visual materials, manuscripts, and books to cover topics such as the exploration of the west and the rise of tourism; the development of recreational areas in the country; the growth of spectator and recreational sports; the importance of recorded music and film classics; and the golden age of television. To link these separate elements, the exhibition will select from its unparalleled collection of political cartoons and drawings and the writings of American humorists. These visual commentaries will further illustrate and put into context the ``amusements'' covered. The exhibition, on display from the Fall of 2000, will be accompanied by a catalog, and educational and outreach programs, including a series of musical comedy and film presentation and live performances. proposed bicentennial projects A variety of Bicentennial projects have been proposed, including local newspaper surveys to identify the most influential book and film of the century, an international conference on comparative constitutional law, a Library- related photography contest with an exhibition of winning photographs traveling around the country, a conference about national libraries at the Library of Congress, and the joint celebration of National Library Week and the Library's Bicentennial in April of 2000. support for the bicentennial The Bicentennial projects will be privately funded, with substantial support from the James Madison Council. The Madison Council will established in 1990 to help the Library share its unique resources with the nation and the world. look for updates to the bicentenial program The Library of Congress Bicentennial home page will be changed as the program develops. Check in at this address-- http://www.loc.gov/bicentennial/_for the latest information on Bicentennial activities and events.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, yesteday, the Federl employee community said a final goodby to John Sturdivant, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees. John lost his battle with leukemia on October 28. John Sturdivant lead the American Federation of Government Employees--AFGE--since 1988. In fact, in August he won reelection to another term. To say that he will be missed is an understatement. Although we did not always agree over the years, there was never any question of John's ultimate goal--protection of the interests of Federal employees. John Sturdivant was a strong leader and forceful defender of the rights of Federal employees. He recognized the need for public servants. Federal employees provide a necessary and valuable service to our country. They should not be misunderstood or mistreated or maligned. John was himself a good public servant and worked hard to be a strong advocate.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. How much time remains, Mr. President?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum, and I ask that it be charged equally to both sides; charge the first 2 minutes to mine, and then bring it down. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS. I understand the position of the Senator from Virginia, but I would like him to consider this: We had $800 million allocated to the military construction budget out of the budget agreement that was entered into with the President. That still left us $700 million below the 1997 level. The action of the President in vetoing 38 projects here has removed $287 million from that. If this bill does not pass, that money is gone. But not only is it gone, the President has announced the 18 he made a mistake on he will fund by reprogramming over other money. So the net result of the President's veto is an excess of $450 million that is lost from the defense budget this year. Now, it was a mistake. This was not a line-item veto that made sense. It was a sheer mistake. They will not tell us which projects, by the way, he made a mistake on. I wonder if the Senator from Virginia knows that? The net result of not passing this bill will be that almost half a billion of the money that we got through the negotiations with the President to increase the defense budget will be gone forever, including quality-of-life projects, barracks, mess halls, housing. I ask the Senator, how can you justify voting for this if you are in favor of the line-item veto? I was the chairman of the Senate conference on the line-item veto. I know the requirements of the line-item veto law. The President did not follow it. He did not establish criteria. He announced the criteria after--after--after the decision was made. In the case of Virginia, as the Senator pointed out, the criteria didn't fit the Virginia projects. That was true on 36 of the 38 projects. Those 36 are in this bill. Now, I say to my friend from Virginia, bad facts make bad law. If this bill doesn't pass, I guarantee the Senator from Virginia, this case will be taken to the courts, and if it is taken to the courts, this will be the vehicle that will lead to the destruction of the line- item veto. We are coming at it from different directions, the Senator from Virginia and I. I still believe in the line-item veto, but if the President's veto is not overridden, I will join the Senator from West Virginia in seeking to repeal the line-item veto, because this is wrong. This is arrogance, an abuse of power, and it is an overwhelming mistake on the part of the executive branch. I thank the Senator for listening to me. If the Senator from Virginia wishes to have time to respond, I yield from our time.

Mr. STEVENS. Two minutes to each side.

Mr. STEVENS. I yield such time to the Senator from Texas, from my 12 minutes, as she wishes to use.