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“PERSONAL EXPLANATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1152 on June 29, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
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HON. RONNIE SHOWS
of mississippi
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, June 28, 2000
Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I was away from the floor of the House on Monday, June 26, 2000, to attend to official business in my congressional district. I was unable to cast recorded votes on Rollcalls 322 through 326, relating to Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2001, and on Rollcalls 327 through 330.
Mr. Speaker, I regret not being able to vote on any of these rollcalls, but I particularly regret being unable to cast my vote in favor of Final Passage of the Commerce Appropriations Bill, H.R. 4690. This bill includes funds, which I requested, to repair the National Weather Service Melba Warning Tower in Jefferson Davis County.
Tornadoes and hurricanes are a constant threat and have caused serious damage in our area. I have been working to repair the Melba National Weather Service emergency warning tower, which serves Jones, Covington, Jefferson Davis, Simpson, Lawrence, Marion, Walthall, Lamar
& Forrest counties. I am pleased that the Appropriations Committee and the full House recognized the urgent need to repair the Melba Tower.
Mr. Speaker, had I been present for Rollcalls 322 through 330, 1 would have cast the following votes:
Rollcall 322: ``Aye'' on the Sanford Amendment to H.R. 4690, to strike the $8.2 million appropriation for the Asia Foundation in the Department of State.
Rollcall 323: ``No'' on the Olver Amendment to H.R. 4690, to add a new proviso into the bill (relating to the Kyoto Protocols) which clarifies that the limitations on funds shall not apply to activities which are otherwise authorized by law.
Rollcall 324: ``Aye'' on the Hostettler Amendment to H.R. 4690, to add a new section which provides that no funds in the bill may be used to enforce, implement, or administer the provisions of the settlement document dated March 17, 2000, between Smith and Wesson and the Department of the Treasury.
Rollcall 325: ``Aye'' on the Vitter Amendment to H.R. 4690, to add language to the bill prohibiting the use of funds by the State Department to approve the purchase of property in Arlington, VA by the Xinhua News Agency.
Rollcall 326: ``Yea'' on Passage of H.R. 4690, Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2001.
Rollcall 327: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 3417, the Pribilof Islands Transition Act.
Rollcall 328: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, S. 148, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.
Rollcall 329: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 4408, a bill to reauthorize the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act.
Rollcall 330: ``Yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 3023, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey property to the Greater Yuma Port Authority of Yuma County, Arizona for use as an international port of entry.
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