The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S9724-S9730 on Sept. 1, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999
The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
Amendment No. 3495
(Purpose: To provide a limited waiver for certain foreign students of the requirement to reimburse local educational agencies for the costs of the students' education)
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. McConnell], for Mr. Lugar, proposes an amendment numbered 3495.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
On page 114, strike all after line 1 through page 115 line 6 and insert the following:
SEC. 578. LIMITED WAIVER OF REIMBURSEMENT REQUIREMENT FOR
CERTAIN FOREIGN STUDENTS.
Section 214(l)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(l)(1)), as added by section 625(a)(1) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (110 Stat. 3009-699), is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by redesignating clauses (i) and
(ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), respectively;
(2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses
(i) and (ii), respectively;
(3) by striking ``(l)(1)'' and inserting ``(l)(1)(A)''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(B) The Attorney General shall waive the application of subparagraph (A)(ii) for an alien seeking to pursue a course of study in a public secondary school served by a local educational agency (as defined in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801) if the agency determines and certifies to the Attorney General that such waiver will promote the educational interest of the agency and will not impose an undue financial burden on the agency.''.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this amendment has been cleared on this side of the aisle and, I believe, on the other side.
Mr. LEAHY. There is no objection on this side of the aisle.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3495) was agreed to.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. LEAHY. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
American Educational Institutions in Lebanon
Mr. ABRAHAM. Would the Senator from Kentucky yield for a question?
Mr. McCONNELL. I would be happy to yield to the Senator from Michigan.
Mr. ABRAHAM. I want to thank the Senator from Kentucky for the interest that he and his committee have taken in American educational institutions abroad, and the role they play in advancing basic American values in countries of key strategic interest to the United States. As the Chairman knows, I believe that Lebanon is one of the countries where American leadership is especially needed. Therefore, I was pleased that the committee's report on S. 2334 gives special recognition to the importance of the American University of Beirut and Lebanese American University. As the report states, both these institutions, AUB and LAU, deserve further support from the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad program. I would like to ask the Senator from Kentucky if he agrees with me that AID also should directly support the American educational institutions in Lebanon through our bilateral aid program to that country.
Mr. McCONNELL. Yes. The Senator is quite right. Our aid program to Lebanon is structured so that all assistance is channeled through grants or contracts to American non-governmental organizations or U.S. firms. The American educational institutions there should be the first to be supported. Education is at the heart of what we are trying to accomplish with our aid program. It instills the fundamental values that will guide the next generation of leaders. It will determine whether those leaders share our commitment to democracy and free market principles, and whether they learn how to solve their own problems or remain dependent on us. An investment in American education will pay greater dividends than anything else we can do in Lebanon.
Mr. ABRAHAM. I am pleased to hear the Chairman say that. Unfortunately, AID currently is not pursuing such a policy in Lebanon. The agency has established three strategic objectives for the country: expanded economic opportunity, increased effectiveness of democratic institutions, and improved environmental practices. Each of these objectives certainly deserves special attention and are quite important, thus I have no complaint about them as such. But, strengthening the American educational presence in the country should also be an objective. In fact, it should be the primary objective. The American educational institutions can help achieve these other three objectives, and many more, if their core educational and research activities are enhanced. To some degree AID recognizes the invaluable resource they have in these institutions, and the agency is in fact contracting with them to help accomplish the goals it has set for the country. But it seems to have missed the essential point that these institutions themselves need revitalization after fifteen years of war in Lebanon, and that this cannot be accomplished without supporting the rebuilding of weakened institutional structures. The American educational institutions in Lebanon can and should be called upon to help rebuild the country, but it is shortsighted not to commit additional resources to rebuild them as well.
Mr. McCONNELL. The Senator from Michigan has special knowledge of Lebanon, and his expertise is well respected by all his colleagues here in the Senate. The point he makes is indeed sound. I am grateful to have his observations, and I am sure that AID will want to give them heed. I would like to assure my colleague that the committee will encourage the agency to do so, and we will monitor the situation to see if changes are made.
Mr. ABRAHAM. I thank the Chairman.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
(At the request of Mr. McConnell, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I wish to thank Chairman McConnell and Senator Leahy for their work in putting together a foreign operations funding bill that provides for our national security interests while doing so under tough fiscal constraints.
I would also like to commend the Chairman and Ranking Member on their recognition of the important role Tunisia has played in the Middle East Peace Process for the past several years.
Tunisia has been a long-time friend of the United States. Tunisia has, since the beginning of the Peace Process, fully committed itself to this process, which is viewed as the only way to restore peace in the Middle East.
They launched the first U.S.-PLO dialogue as well as the first preparatory talks between Israeli and Palestinian leadership in Tunis. Tunisia was the first Arab country to host meetings within the framework of the Peace Process.
Furthermore, a trilateral meeting was held in Washington in October 1995 bringing together the three Foreign Ministers of the United States, Israel and Tunisia, followed soon afterwards by another trilateral meeting, in January 1996, in Washington, D.C. A decision was then announced to open, both in Tunis and in Tel Aviv, interest sections in order to encourage the process of normalization between Arab States and Israel.
The Tunisian's have undertaken these diplomatic initiatives at some level of security risk. Tunisia's next door neighbor is Libya. Nevertheless the Tunisians have refused to engage in an arms race. In 1997, they participated in 20 joint military exercises with the U.S. and the European Command.
I believe it is time that we demonstrate our appreciation and support for this country through funding commitments. I also encourage the Administration to begin exploring additional funding initiatives in fiscal year 2000.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens were instrumental in securing funding for Tunisia. I have had a number of conversations with both members regarding this initiative. I have also advised them of the tough fiscal constraints under which we in the Foreign Operations Committee are operating.
However, I too recognize Tunisia's importance in the Peace Process and have agreed with Senator Leahy to provide $7 million of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) in this bill. $5 million is available under draw down authority and $2 million will be available through a direct grant.
I want to assure Senators Inouye and Stevens that if the Tunisians continue their role in the Peace Process, we will explore other funding initiatives in the fiscal year 2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
Mr. Inouye. Mr. President, I thank Chairman McConnell and Senator Leahy and look forward to working with them on this issue in the Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriations bill.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Roberts). Without objection, it is so ordered.
Privilege of the Floor
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to Bob Guidos, a fellow on my staff, during the pendency of S. 2334, the foreign operations appropriations bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. DURBIN. I thank the Chair.
Mr. President, I have submitted three amendments for consideration by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. It is my understanding that there will not be objection, but I would like to briefly describe each of these amendments and then offer them for consideration by the Senate.
The first amendment that I will offer is one which addresses the microcredit issue. This is one that I think is of extraordinary importance in terms of supporting and promoting the entrepreneurial spirit of small business people around the globe through the use of microcredit loans.
For those unfamiliar with the term, microcredit is a very small loan given to very poor people with dramatic and positive results. By accepting this amendment, we could enhance the lives of thousands of impoverished people throughout the world as well as their families and communities.
Many years ago, I journeyed to Bangladesh with a colleague of mine from the House of Representatives, Mike Synar of Oklahoma, who passed away a couple years ago. In Bangladesh, we saw the activities of the Grameen Bank, the people's bank, which gave small loans to very, very poor people. Through those loans, these peoples lives were transformed. The people understood that this was a rare opportunity. And, they were supported by people in their communities who would cosign the loans. The payback rate on the loans was in the high 90th percentile. With only a few dollars, maybe $100, a woman in Bangladesh had a chance to buy some tools that would allow her to pursue a trade and to feed her family. Another woman might be able to buy a dairy cow and with the milk from that cow she could feed her children as well as provide products for sale, which would provide some income for her family.
These microcredit loans are not charity; they are a means to provide poor, fledgling entrepreneurs in lesser developed countries with loans for startup of individual businesses. It has proven to be a successful way to help these people achieve economic independence and dignity for themselves.
It is interesting that where we found people in Bangladesh involved in microcredit, we also found timely discussion and debate about critical issues, such as the elevation of the status of women, for example. It wasn't a surprise to find that the women involved in Grameen Bank were also actively involved in prenatal activities so that their children would be more healthy. They also actively participated in family planning programs on a voluntary basis that helped them to take personal responsibility for the size of their families as well as other issues that all of us, I believe, agree are part of the solution to dealing with developing economies.
My amendment will change the status of the program in one slight respect. It gives microcredit a higher priority among U.S. enterprise development efforts. This amendment will ensure that at least half of the funds already appropriated through this bill, S. 2334, for USAID for microenterprise initiatives will be used for programs providing loans of less than $300 to poor people, particularly women, or for institutional support of organizations primarily engaged in microcredit loans.
We don't increase the overall spending amount; we merely have a reallocation of the smaller loans in this package. Existing loans have a remarkably high repayment rate of 95 percent or more.
This amendment supports the goals of the Microcredit Summit held in Washington, DC, in 1997 to offer credit for self-employment and other financial aid. It also supports the goals found in S. 2152, the Microcredit for Self-sufficiency Act of 1998, introduced in June, sponsored by myself, Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, and 22 other Senators on a bipartisan basis.
I believe that the use of microcredit loans is a pragmatic and proven method for fostering the growth of small businesses.
I thank the chairman for acceptance of this amendment.
Amendment No. 3496
(Purpose: To allocate funds available for activities pursuant to the
Microenterprise Initiative)
Mr. DURBIN. I send this amendment to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the pending amendments are set aside so that the amendments offered by the Senator from Illinois are the pending business. The clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] proposes an amendment numbered 3496.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
On page 11, line 15, before the period insert the following: ``Provided further, That, of the funds appropriated under this heading and made available for activities pusuant to the Microenterprise Initiative, not less than one-half shall be expended on programs providing loans of less than $300 to very poor people, particularly women, or for institutional support of organizations primarily engaged in making such loans''.
Amendment No. 3497
(Purpose: To express the sense of Congress regarding United States citizens imprisoned in Peru.)
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, my second amendment is one that deals with an issue of some controversy in my State of Illinois and one that we have followed very closely.
Several years ago, two young people from Illinois made a very serious mistake. These young, I believe then teenage girls accepted an invitation to fly to Peru. It sounded too good to be true and it was. They found themselves lured into a drug trade and subsequently were arrested in Peru.
For almost two years now, these young ladies, one is Jennifer Davis of Illinois, have languished in prison in Lima, Peru. Neither Jennifer Davis nor her family deny the fact that she is guilty as charged and that she should be sentenced and should serve time for the crime she has committed. In fact, she has cooperated fully with the Peruvian authorities and those who are seeking to find who was responsible for the drug trading involved.
The difficulty, of course, is that the Peruvian legal system is much different than the United States system. It took an excruciatingly long period of time, nine months, before Jennifer was actually charged, brought to trial, and convicted. We had hoped that the trial and conviction would lead to the possibility of her being sentenced and then extradited to the United States to serve time for her sentence in an American prison, which is customary under international law. But, the conviction was appealed by her codefendants. Under the Peruvian system, the appeal went to the Supreme Court, which called for a new trial. Now, the process has started all over again.
I have spoken directly to Jennifer Davis' parents. I have spoken to the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Mr. Jett, about this case. It is not my intention in offering this amendment to in any way be confrontational with the Government of Peru. What we are attempting to do is to urge them to follow accepted international standards for a timely hearing and a timely trial of Jennifer Davis and all other Americans being held in Peruvian prisons. We do not presume the outcome of these trials. We do not ask for special or favorable treatment, only that they be treated as prisoners are treated in the United States and most other countries--in a timely fashion--and that any decision by those courts be carried out in a fair manner.
That is all that we can ask. It is all that we do in this amendment.
I send the amendment to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair asks the Senator, we still have the Senator's first amendment pending. Does the Senator wish to dispose of his amendment prior to offering this amendment?
Mr. DURBIN. I certainly do. I ask the chairman of the subcommittee if he has any objection.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have no objection to the Durbin amendments. Maybe we should go ahead and approve the first one.
Mr. DURBIN. I thank the Senator.
Vote on Amendment No. 3496
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the amendment? Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3496) was agreed to.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.
Mr. DURBIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Amendment No. 3497
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the second amendment.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] proposes an amendment numbered 3497.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
At the appropriate place in the bill, insert the following new section:
SEC. ____. SENSE OF SENATE REGARDING UNITED STATES CITIZENS
HELD IN PRISONS IN PERU.
It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) as a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Government of Peru is obligated to grant prisoners timely legal proceedings pursuant to Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which requires that ``anyone arrested or detained on a criminal charge shall be brought promptly before a judge or other officer authorized by law to exercise judicial power and shall be entitled to trial within a reasonable time or release'', and that ``any one who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that that court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention is not lawful'';
(2) the Government of Peru should respect the rights of prisoners to timely legal procedures, including the rights of all United States citizens held in prisons in that country; and
(3) the Government of Peru should take all necessary steps to ensure that any United States citizen charged with committing a crime in that country is accorded open and fair proceedings in a civilian court.
Mr. DURBIN. If there is no objection from the chairman or ranking member----
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have no objection to the second Durbin amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment? Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3497) was agreed to.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.
Mr. DURBIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized.
Amendment No. 3498
(Purpose: To require a report on the training provided to foreign military personnel in the United States during fiscal years 1998 and
1999)
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I have one last amendment. Let me apologize. I thought they were going to be considered en bloc. I understand now.
This last amendment is an attempt to address a matter of great concern in an objective manner, and that is the concern of some in the United States that we have expended taxpayers' dollars over the years for the training of foreign military officers and personnel in the United States with sometimes unintended tragic results.
First, let me say, that many of the individuals who have come to the United States from foreign countries to receive military training have returned to their home countries and have served the cause of justice and the cause of civilian control of the military in an admirable way, but there have been notable exceptions.
I will not at this moment offer the amendment that I had planned to offer involving the controversial School of the Americas. I was prepared to offer that amendment which would close down and terminate the School of the Americas. That is an amendment which has been considered for many years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I voted for it there. I believe we should close that School. That is still my heartfelt belief.
I have spoken to those who share my point of view. It is their belief at this moment that we should not offer that amendment. I follow their advice on the subject.
Instead, I would like to offer for the consideration of the Senate and the House of Representatives and all others an amendment that would require the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense and Department of State to submit a report to Congress which spells out exactly what training is available to foreign military leaders and personnel in the United States, including the location, the duration, the numbers involved, the cost of the training, the purpose and nature of the training and, most importantly, an analysis as to whether that training is consistent with United States foreign policy and the goals of promoting democracy and the civilian control of the military and the promotion of human rights. I think this will set the stage for a more thorough and thoughtful consideration of all of the programs that might involve foreign military officers and personnel being trained in the United States.
Let me say at the outset, I believe that some of these programs are invaluable, that many of the men and women who are participating in them leave the United States and go back to their home countries prepared to really create a new military ethic. I think the United States should continue on that course. But, unfortunately, in the past, particularly in the case of the School of the Americas, there have been some very controversial instances where those who have been trained have responded in ways most of us would consider to be anathema. They have returned to their home countries and have been involved in conduct of which I am sure no one would ever approve.
I ask and urge adoption of the amendment which I have offered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Has the Senator submitted the amendment?
Mr. DURBIN. I will submit the amendment. I just returned, Mr. President, from a few weeks away, and I am trying to get back into the flow of things. I thank the Senator for his forbearance.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair welcomes the Senator back. The clerk will read the amendment.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] proposes an amendment numbered 3498.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
At the appropriate place in the bill, insert the following new section:
Sec. ____. (a) Not later than January 31, 1999, the Inspector General of the Department of Defense and the Inspector General of the Department of State shall jointly submit to Congress a report describing the following:
(1) The training provided to foreign military personnel within the United States under any programs administered by the Department of Defense or the Department of State during fiscal year 1998.
(2) The training provided (including the training proposed to be provided) to such personnel within the United States under such programs during fiscal year 1999.
(b) For each case of training covered by the report under subsection (a), the report shall include--
(1) the location of the training;
(2) the duration of the training;
(3) the number of foreign military personnel provided the training by country, including the units of operation of such personnel;
(4) the cost of the training;
(5) the purpose and nature of the training; and
(6) an analysis of the manner and the extent to which the training meets or conflicts with the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the furtherance of democracy and civilian control of the military and the promotion of human rights.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise in support of an amendment to the fiscal year 1999 Foreign Operations appropriations bill offered by the Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin]. The amendment requires a report to the Congress from the Inspectors General of the Departments of Defense and State detailing the type and purpose of military training provided to foreign military personnel within the United States during fiscal years 1998 and 1999. I am pleased the Senate has adopted this amendment.
I have long been opposed to the continued operation of the United States Army's School of the Americas (SOA), located at Fort Benning, Georgia. This amendment will ensure that the Congress receives a full accounting of the duration, cost, purpose and nature of the foreign military training at all sites within the United States, including the School of the Americas. The report required by this amendment will also include a list of the number and country of origin of foreign military officers trained and the units in which these officers serve. Further, the report must include an analysis of whether or not the training these officers receive conflicts with the foreign policy objectives of the United States.
While the Senator's amendment includes all foreign military training that is conducted in the United States, this is an especially appropriate time to talk about the training at the School of the Americas in particular. All across our country, millions of children are beginning a new school year. Most students this year will study math, science, history, and English, and perhaps foreign languages, art and music. And they will learn the basic values of our society--honesty, integrity, and how to get along with each other.
There is one school in our country, however, that has not subscribed to these basic American values. It is called the School of the Americas--a name which evokes the idea of a shared system of values among the United States and our democratic neighbors in the Americas. This school was created in 1946 with the best of intentions--to train Latin American military officers in combat and conterinsurgency skills, with the goal of professionalizing Latin American armies and strengthening the new democracies in our hemisphere. Its curriculum has included some history and math and science and foreign languages, to be sure. But this school has replaced the traditional three Rs with the three As--arrest, abduction, and assassination. Because many of its graduates have excelled at the three As, the school has earned the nickname the ``School of the Assassins.'' Others call it the ``School of Dictators.''
In 1991, following an internal investigation, the Pentagon removed certain SOA training manuals from circulation. On September 22, 1996, the Pentagon released the full text of those training manuals and acknowledged that some of those manuals provided instruction in techniques that, in the Pentagon's words, were ``clearly objectionable and possibly illegal.'' The techniques in question included torture, extortion, false arrest, and execution. And the students have learned these lessons very well.
The school's alumni directory reads like a who's who of international criminals. Among its graduates are Manuel Noriega, at least 19 Salvadorean officers implicated by El Salvador's Truth Commission in the murder of six Jesuit priests, and officers who participated in the coup against former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Since I first came to the Senate in 1993, I have been contacted by hundreds of Wisconsin residents, including religious and school groups, who see the closure of this school as a moral imperative. The importance of removing the imprimatur of the United States from this school has been driven home many times during the listening sessions I hold in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties every year. I share my constituents' shock and disappointment that our government continues to operate a school with the miserable record of the School of the Americas. As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I am committed to promoting human rights throughout the world. We cannot do that by continuing to operate this school.
I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of S. 980, legislation introduced by the Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] to close this school. The movement to close the School of the Americas is not a new one. Over the past several years, there have been a number of votes on this issue in the House of Representatives. Many of our colleagues in the other body share my concern about this school. Last year, an amendment to close SOA was defeated by the narrowest of margins. It is clear that the momentum behind the bipartisan effort to close this school is growing, and I believe that SOA's days are numbered.
While it may be appropriate under certain circumstances for the United States military to offer training to military forces from friendly nations, it is a mistake to conduct this training at the School of the Americas. I have no objection to training military officers from Latin America, but to continue to do so at this school places all future training under a sinister shadow of doubt. This school's reputation has been irrevocably tainted by the blood of the victims of its graduates. In order to remove any suggestion of responsibility for the deaths of these innocent people from the United States, and in order to lift the cloud of suspicion over American military training, we must separate the legitimate training exercises conducted by the United States military from the sordid acts most notorious graduates of SOA. The only way to do that is to close the School of the Americas once and for all.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have no objection to the Durbin amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment offered by the Senator from Illinois?
Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3498) was agreed to.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.
Mr. DURBIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. DURBIN. Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Privilege Of The Floor
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Doug James, a legislative fellow in the office of Mike DeWine, be granted floor privileges during the pendency of S. 2334, the foreign operations bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Amendment No. 3499
(Purpose: To earmark funds for a hydraulic drilling machine to provide potable drinking water in the region of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan)
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have an amendment by Senator Brownback which has been cleared on both sides of the aisle. I send it to the desk, amendment No. 3499.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendment will be set aside. The clerk will report the amendment.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. McConnell], for Mr. Brownback, proposes an amendment numbered 3499.
Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
On page 15, line 13, before the period insert the following: ``: Provided, That, of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $500,000 shall be available only to Catholic Relief Services solely for the purpose of the purchase, transport, or installation of a hydraulic drilling machine to provide potable drinking water in the region of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan''.
Mr. McCONNELL. It is my understanding there is agreement to the amendment on both sides.
Mr. LEAHY. There is no objection on this side. We find this amendment perfectly acceptable.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment? Hearing none, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3499) was agreed to.
Mr. McCONNELL. I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. LEAHY. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Amendment No. 3502
(Purpose: To provide for progress reports to Congress on efforts to update the architecture of the international monetary system)
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent it be in order to send to the desk an amendment on behalf of the Senator from South Dakota, Mr. Daschle, and myself.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendment will be set aside. The clerk will report the amendment.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy], for Mr. Daschle, for himself and Mr. Leahy, proposes an amendment numbered 3502.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
At the appropriate place insert the following:
Sec. 1. Short Title.--Progress Reports to Congress on United States Initiatives to Update the Architecture of the International Monetary System
Sec. 2. Reports Required.--Not later than July 15, 1999 and July 15, 2000, the Secretary of the Treasury shall report to the Chairmen and Ranking members of the Senate Committees on Appropriations, Foreign Relations, and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and House Committees on Appropriations and Banking and Financial Services on the progress of efforts to reform the architecture or the international monetary system. The reports shall include a discussion of the substance of the US position in consultations with other governments and the degree of progress in achieving international acceptance and implementation of such position with respect to the following issues:
(1) adapting the mission and capabilities of the international monetary Fund to take better account of the increased importance of cross-border capital flows in the world economy and improving the coordination of its responsibilities and activities with those of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
(2) advancing measures to prevent, and improve the management of, international financial crises, including by--
(a) integrating aspects of national bankruptcy principles into the management of international financial crises where feasible; and
(b) changing investor expectations about official rescues, thereby reducing moral hazard and systemic risk in international financial markets--
in order to help minimize the adjustment costs that the resolution of financial crises may impose on the real economy, in the form of disrupted patterns of trade, employment, and progress in living standards, and reduce the frequency and magnitude of claims on United States taxpayer resources.
(3) improving international economic policy cooperation, including among the group of Seven countries, to take better account of the importance of cross-border capital flows in the determination of exchange rate relationships.
(4) improving international cooperation in the supervision and regulation of financial institutions and markets.
(5) strengthening the financial sector in emerging economies, including by improving the coordination of financial sector liberalization with the establishment of strong public and private institutions in the areas of prudential supervision, accounting and disclosure conventions, bankruptcy laws and administrative procedures, and the collection and dissemination of economic and financial statistics, including the maturity structure of foreign indebtedness.
(6) advocating that implementation of European Economic and Monetary Union and the advent of the European Currency Unit, or euro, proceed in a manner that is consistent with strong global economic growth and stability in world financial markets.
Mr. LEAHY. I understand there is no objection to this amendment. The amendment is by Mr. Daschle, and joined by me.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, there is no objection on this side.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment offered by the Senator from Vermont, on behalf of the distinguished Democratic leader? Hearing none, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3502) was agreed to.
Mr. LEAHY. I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. McCONNELL. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Amendment No. 3503
(Purpose: To urge international cooperation in recovering children abducted in the United States and taken to other countries)
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be laid aside so that we can consider an amendment by the distinguished Senator from Arkansas, Mr. Bumpers.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. LEAHY. I send the amendment to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy], for Mr. Bumpers, proposes an amendment numbered 3503.
Mr. LEAHY. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
At the appropriate place add the following:
SEC. . SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION IN RECOVERING CHILDREN ABDUCTED IN
THE UNITED STATES AND TAKEN TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) Many children in the United States have been abducted by family members who are foreign nationals and living in foreign countries;
(2) children who have been abducted by an estranged father are very rarely returned, through legal remedies, from countries that only recognize the custody rights of the father;
(3) there are at least 140 cases that need to be resolved in which children have been abducted by family members and taken to foreign countries;
(4) although the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, done at the Hague on October 25, 1980, has made progress in aiding the return of abducted children, the Convention does not address the criminal aspects of child abduction, and there is a need to reach agreements regrading child abduction with countries that are not parties to the Convention; and
(5) decisions on awarding custody of children should be made in the children's best interest, and persons who violate laws of the United States by abducting their children should not be rewarded by being granted custody of those children.
(b) Sense of the Congress.--It is the Sense of the Congress that the United States Government should promote international cooperation in working to resolve those cases in which children in the United States are abducted by family members who are foreign nationals and taken to foreign countries, and in seeing that justice is served by holding accountable the abductors for violations of criminal law.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I understand there is no objection to this amendment.
Mr. McCONNELL. There is no objection on this side, Mr. President.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment? Hearing none, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3503) was agreed to.
Mr. LEAHY. I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. McCONNELL. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. McCONNELL addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.
Amendments Nos. 3504 and 3505 En Bloc
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have two amendments by Senator Kempthorne that have been cleared on both sides. I ask unanimous consent that they now be considered. I send them to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendment will be set aside to consider the pending amendments offered by the Senator from Kentucky. The clerk will report the amendments.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. McConnell], for Mr. Kempthorne, proposes amendments numbered 3504 and 3505 en bloc.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendments be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendments are as follows:
amendment no. 3504
(Purpose: To require the purchase of American agriculture commodities with funds made available through this bill and to require the
Secretary of the Treasury to report annually on federal efforts to purchase American agriculture commodities with funds made available through this bill)
On page 77, line 20, after the word ``all'' insert
``agriculture commodities,''.
On page 78, line 3, insert ``(d) The Secretary of the Treasury shall report to Congress annually on the efforts of the heads of each Federal agency and the U.S. directors of international financial institutions (as referenced in Section 514) in complying with this sense of Congress resolution.'' amendment no. 3505
(Purpose: To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the United States executive directors of international financial institutions to use the voice and vote of the United States to support the purchase of American agricultural commodities)
On page 49, insert ``(a)'' before ``The''.
On page 50, line 11, add the following: ``(b) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive Directors of international financial institutions listed in paragraph (a) of this section to use the voice and vote of the United States to support the purchase of American produced agricultural commodities with funds appropriated or made available pursuant to this Act.''
Mr. McCONNELL. I believe there is no objection to the two Kempthorne amendments.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendments? Without objection, the amendments are agreed to.
The amendments (Nos. 3504 and 3505) were agreed to.
Mr. LEAHY. I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. McCONNELL. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I do not believe we have an amendment at the moment. We are still checking around. I urge Members if they have amendments to bring them to the floor because I have a feeling we are probably not that far away from third reading.
Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, moments ago, we adopted amendment No. 3503 by the Senator from Arkansas, Senator Bumpers. I ask unanimous consent that Senator Hutchinson of Arkansas be added as a cosponsor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, has the Pastore rule expired?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Pastore rule will expire at 12:30.
Mr. BYRD. I thank the Chair. I ask unanimous consent that I may speak out of order.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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