[Pages S8564-S8565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED
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LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999
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GRAMS AMENDMENT NO. 3215
(Ordered to lie on the table.)
Mr. GRAMS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to
the bill (H.R. 4112) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes;
as follows:
In the appropriate place, insert the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Government Shutdown
Prevention Act.''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO TITLE 31.
(a) In General: Chapter 13 of title 31, United States Code,
is amended by inserting after section 1310 the following new
section:
1311. Continuing appropriations
(a)(1) If any regular appropriation bill for a fiscal year
does not become law prior to the beginning of such fiscal
year or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations
is not in effect, there is appropriated, out of any moneys in
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of
applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds,
such sums as may be necessary to continue any project or
activity for which funds were provided in the preceding
fiscal year--
(A) in the corresponding regular appropriation Act for such
preceding fiscal year; or
(B) if the corresponding regular appropriation bill for
such preceding fiscal year did not become law, then in a
joint resolution making continuing appropriations for such
preceding fiscal year.
(2) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority
granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal year
pursuant to this section shall be at a rate of operations not
in excess of the lower of--
(A) the rate of operations provided for in the regular
appropriation Act providing for such project or activity for
the preceding fiscal year,
(B) in the absence of such an Act, the rate of operations
provided for such project or activity pursuant to a joint
resolution making continuing appropriations for such
preceding fiscal year,
(C) the rate or operations provided for in the House or
Senate passed appropriation bill for the fiscal year in
question, except that the lower of these two versions shall
be ignored for any project or activity for which there is a
budget request if no funding is provided for that project or
activity in either version.
(D) the rate provided in the budget submission of the
President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States
Code, for the fiscal year in question, or
(E) the annualized rate of operations provided for in the
most recently enacted joint resolution making continuing
appropriations for part of the fiscal year or any funding
levels established under the provisions of this Act.
(3) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority
granted, for any fiscal year pursuant to this section for a
project or activity shall be available for the period
beginning with the first day of a lapse in appropriations and
ending with the earlier of--
(A) the date on which the applicable regular appropriation
bill for such fiscal year becomes law (whether or not such
law provides for such project or activity) or a continuing
resolution making appropriations becomes law, as the case may
be, or
(B) the last day of such fiscal year.
(d) An appropriation or funds made available, or authority
granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal year
pursuant to the section shall be subject to the terms and
conditions imposed with respect to the appropriation made or
funds made available for the preceding fiscal year, or
authority granted for such project or activity under current
law.
(c) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority
granted, for any project or activity for any fiscal year
pursuant to this section shall cover all obligations or
expenditures incurred for such project or activity during the
portion of such fiscal year for which this section applies to
such project or activity.
(d) Expenditures made for a project or activity for any
fiscal year pursuant to this section shall be charged to the
applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a
regular appropriation bill or a joint resolution making
continuing appropriations until the end of a fiscal year
providing for such project or activity for such period
becomes law.
(c) This section shall not apply to a project or activity
during a fiscal year if any other provision of law (other
than an authorization of appropriations)--
(1) makes an appropriation, makes funds available, or
grants authority for such project or activity to continue for
such period, or
(2) specifically provides that no appropriation shall be
made, no funds shall be made available, or no authority shall
be granted for such project or activity to continue for such
period.
(f) For purposes of this section, the term ``regular
appropriation bill'' means any annual appropriation bill
making appropriations, otherwise making funds available or
granting authority, for any of the following categories of
projects and activities:
(1) Agriculture, rural development, and related agencies
programs.
(2) The Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the
Judiciary, and related agencies.
(3) The Department of Defense.
(4) The government of the District of Columbia and other
activities chargeable in whole or in part against the
revenues of the District.
(5) The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education, and related agencies.
(6) The Department of Housing and Urban Development, and
sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions,
corporations, and offices.
(7) Energy and water development
(8) Foreign assistance and related programs.
(9) The Department of the Interior and related agencies.
(10) Military construction.
(11) The Department of Transportation and related agencies.
(12) The Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the
Executive Office of the President, and certain independent
agencies.
(13) The legislative branch.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis of chapter 13 of
title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after
the item relating to section 1310 the following new item:
1311. Continuing appropriations.
(c) Protection of Other Obligations.--Nothing in the
amendments made by this section shall be construed to effect
Government obligations mandated by other law, including
obligations with respect to Social Security, Medicare, and
Medicaid.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
(a) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall
apply with respect to fiscal years beginning with fiscal year
1999.
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BROWNBACK (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3216
(Ordered to lie on the table.)
Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Inhofe, and Mr. Smith
[[Page S8565]]
of New Hampshire) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
them to the bill, H.R. 4112, supra; as follows:
At the appropriate place in the bill, add the following:
SEC. ____. COMBINED RETURN TO WHICH UNMARRIED RATES APPLY.
(a) In General.--Subpart B of part II of subchapter A of
chapter 61 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to
income tax returns) is amended by inserting after section
6013 the following new section:
``SEC. 6013A. COMBINED RETURN WITH SEPARATE RATES.
``(a) General Rule.--A husband and wife may make a combined
return of income taxes under subtitle A under which--
``(1) a separate taxable income is determined for each
spouse by applying the rules provided in this section, and
``(2) the tax imposed by section 1 is the aggregate amount
resulting from applying the separate rates set forth in
section 1(c) to each such taxable income.
``(b) Determination of Taxable Income.--
``(1) In general.--For purposes of subsection (a)(1), the
taxable income for each spouse shall be one-half of the
taxable income computed as if the spouses were filing a joint
return.
``(2) Nonitemizers.--For purposes of paragraph (1), if an
election is made not to itemize deductions for any taxable
year, the basic standard deduction shall be equal to the
amount which is twice the basic standard deduction under
section 63(c)(2)(C) for the taxable year.
``(c) Treatment of Credits.--Credits shall be determined
(and applied against the joint liability of the couple for
tax) as if the spouses had filed a joint return.
``(d) Treatment as Joint Return.--Except as otherwise
provided in this section or in the regulations prescribed
hereunder, for purposes of this title (other than sections 1
and 63(c)) a combined return under this section shall be
treated as a joint return.
``(e) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such
regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out
this section.''
(b) Unmarried Rate Made Applicable.--So much of subsection
(c) of section 1 of such Code as precedes the table is
amended to read as follows:
``(c) Separate or Unmarried Return Rate.--There is hereby
imposed on the taxable income of every individual (other than
a married individual (as defined in section 7703) filing a
joint return or a separate return, a surviving spouse as
defined in section 2(a), or a head of household as defined in
section 2(b)) a tax determined in accordance with the
following table:''.
(c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subpart
B of part II of subchapter A of chapter 61 of such Code is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 6013
the following:
``Sec. 6013A. Combined return with separate rates.''
(d) Budget Directive.--The members of the conference on the
congressional budget resolution for fiscal year 1999 shall
provide in the conference report sufficient spending
reductions to offset the reduced revenues received by the
United States Treasury resulting from the amendments made by
this section.
(e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
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McCAIN (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3217
(Ordered to lie on the table.)
Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. Coats, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Faircloth, Mr.
Ashcroft, Mr. Kerrey, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Abraham,
and Mr. Robb) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by them to
the bill, H.R. 4112, supra; as follows:
In the appropriate place in the bill insert the following:
SEC. 311. AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN CRS WEB SITE INFORMATION.
(a) Availability of Information.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the Congressional Research
Service shall make available on the Internet, for purposes of
access and retrieval by the public, all information that--
(A) is available through the Congressional Research Service
web site;
(B) is described in paragraph (2); and
(C) is not confidential as determined by--
(i) the Director; or
(ii) the head of a Federal department or agency that
provided the information to the Congressional Research
Service.
(2) Information.--The information referred to in paragraph
(1)(B) is as follows:
(A) All Congressional Research Service Issue Briefs.
(B) All Congressional Research Service Reports that are
available to Members of Congress through the Congressional
Research Service web site.
(C) All Congressional Research Service Authorization of
Appropriations Products or Appropriations Products.
(3) Removal of information; changes and updates.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the
Director of the Congressional Research Service may--
(A) remove from the information required to be made
available on the Internet under this section the name of,
phone number of, and information regarding, an employee of
the Congressional Research Service;
(B) remove from the information required to be made
available on the Internet under this section, any material
the Director determines may infringe the copyright of a work
protected under title 17, United States Code; and
(C) make any changes or updates in the information required
to be made available on the Internet under this section that
the Director determines are necessary to ensure that the
information is accurate.
(b) Time.--The information shall be so made available not
earlier than 30 days after the first day the information is
available to Members of Congress through the Congressional
Research Service web site.
(c) Requirements.--The Director of the Congressional
Research Service shall make the information available in a
manner that the Director determines--
(1) is practical and reasonable; and
(2) does not permit the submission of comments from the
public.
(d) Method of Public Access.--The public shall have access
to the web page containing Congressional Research Service
information that is available to the public only through the
Library of Congress' THOMAS web page (http://thomas.loc.gov).
The Director of Congressional Research Service shall work
with the Librarian of Congress to establish an appropriate
Internet link to carry out this subsection. The Director of
Congressional Research Service shall be responsible for
maintaining and updating the web page containing
Congressional Research Service products. The Director of
Congressional Research Service shall have sole discretion to
edit the web page based on the criteria established by this
Act. The Librarian of Congress shall have the responsibility
of working with the Director of Congressional Research
Service only to the extent necessary to establish the link
from the THOMAS web page to the public access Congressional
Research Service web page. Nothing in this Act may be
construed to interfere with the Librarian's normal duties
concerning THOMAS.
(e) Further Approval Not Required.--Notwithstanding the
first proviso under the subheading ``salaries and expenses''
under the subheading ``Congressional Research Service'' under
the heading ``LIBRARY OF CONGRESS'' under title I of this Act
(relating to prior approval of certain publications), the
Director shall make information available in accordance with
this section without the prior approval of the Committee on
Rules and Administration of the Senate or the Committee on
House Oversight of the House of Representatives.
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